Forever More
by flower-yuuki-sakura
Summary: Kyoko and Jelly left Japan due to their intricate love and headed to London. What will happen when the two men in question found out and would do anything to bring back the love of their life? Even if this means to wait for them until they decide to come back?
1. Leaving

**Waiting**

**1. Chapter: Leaving**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Kyoko sighed heavily as she watched her mirror image. She couldn't believe it would be the last day here at LME in that outrageous pink uniform. She was sad, but she had to leave. Not that she really must leave but to salve her conscience she simply had to.

The filming of her last movie was completed without any major problems. It was her first great movie and she got herself the leading role. Short after her role as Setsuka Heel the President of LME offered her this role. He was confident that Kyoko could pull out the character of Shiganori Haruka. And she did perfectly:

_Shiganori Haruka was an orphan. She survived on the street for quiet some years until Niijima Shuichi took her in. Her sheer will to survive and life on made a great impression to the Kumichou of Niijima Ikka. The first month she was served back to health because a sick person and particularly a sick girl didn't brought any benefit to the underground group. At first the Kumichou didn't know how to use a skinny, bony girl without any female features. She was built like a boy and she didn't have any manners at all. But then, Shuichi discovered Harukas fighting skills and her finesse with weapons of all kinds. Soon she was trained as a secret assassin by the only assassin joined Niijima Ikka. Not long and she was at the same level as her master and a few months later she had surpassed him. Shuichi had her drilled into a killing machine, a lifeless puppet without any feelings and no conscience at all. She murdered and removed the bugs which made too much trouble. She learned how to drive a car and a motorbike and pulled off some life-threatening maneuvers. The problem was, she never went to school. Shuichi wasn't pleased. He got her private teachers so she could attend high school without any major problems. It was hard for her to find friends, nobody wanted to talk with the cold and repellent girl. Only in the last year of high school she managed to get a few friends and fell in love. She was faced with a tough choice because the boy she loved was going to be her next victim. She spared his life and told him to run away and that she would follow. She wasn't able to escape and was forced to fight with the Kumichou. Unfaithfully Shuichi lost and died due to his wounds. He didn't have any children because his wife had committed suicide while she was pregnant and the group was left without a leader. She now claimed the position of the Kumichou herself in order to protect the boy she loved. It wasn't easy but she succeeded. They lived separated lives and only saw each other one time before they died. They vowed to each other to be together in their next lives. _

This movie named **Dragonheart** would be one of the best action films made in Japan, the forecasts were sky-rocking. But it took a lot of time to get it wrapped. Kyoko claimed to do all the stunts herself and was trained one year in martial arts and driving the car and the motorbike. She really did all the stunts herself even if she was more than one time in real danger. The director of the movie named Dragonheart was Seiji Shingai and he was overly excited about having Kyoko as the leading actress. Muramase Taira was playing Kyoko's love interest, much to the dismay of the President and Ren.

Now that her role as Shiganori Haruka was complete She had an awful lot of similar offers. Wouldn't there have been this one incident, she had stayed in Japan. Well, it was right after the ending of the filming of **Dragonheart**. The whole crew dragged her off to celebrate. This was the first time she didn't avoid going out and have fun with her co-workers. Later that evening she called Ren and asked him if he would give her a ride. Ren had nearly gotten in a fight with Muramase, but thankfully Kyoko shoved him out of the bar and dragged him to his car. In silent Ren drove them both to his apartment. What happened there made Kyoko blush and reassured her to leave in the near future. Hadn't Ren told her that he was in love with someone else? And he still did kiss her fiercely, as if she was the only girl for him. If that was not enough, she would have sunken in a whole if there was one. How could have Ren done THAT?

Kyoko didn't let the pictures of that moment swirl in her head and focused on writing some stupid reports the President had given her to do. While she was writing the reports, the flight ticket spooked her mind. She already had planned everything through, beginning by her leaving after her work to the airport and her moving in at her new apartment in London. She landed herself a job there for a while now. After what had happened the last few weeks she had accepted it thankfully. Even though acting was her live, she couldn't pull through if she was staying in Japan. She would miss everyone that was for sure, Maria-chan, Moko-san, stupid President – who actually knew what was going on since Kyoko requested it herself, Yashiro and many more. But the person she would miss the most was her sempai. It was nearly heartbreaking to leave him behind, besides it left Kyoko somewhat helpless and lonely. Never the less she was going to pull it through, without regret even if it would hurt!

The sound of an opening door behind her caught her attention. She jumped up suddenly, knocking the stair over and launched herself at her best friend. Kanae saw this coming and stepped away, a second before Kyoko approached her. This left Kyoko hitting the door head on. Pouting she sat up. "Moko-san… What was that for?"

Kanae giggled, not one second was she sorry for her actions. "Come on, don't be like that. What are you here for anyway? Haven't you something to do other than Love Me work?" Kanae wondered why her friend was even here. It was not so long ago that Kyoko was working on a Love Me job she was not allowed to tell anyone about it.

"First, I'm here for work. Second, I'm not doing any dramas or films at the moment. And Bo is not on the show till next month." Sadly, Kyoko had to give up playing the role of the giant chicken Bo. It was one of the most hilarious roles she played so far. She glanced at the clock and held her breath. It was nearly time to change and be headed to the airport, otherwise she wouldn't be able to catch her flight and this would be really bad!

"Moko-san! Didn't you say you had an appointment in half an hour?" Kyoko questioned her best friend in an urgent tone. She had to get in disguise before she got to the airport. Most of the people recognized her on the streets and she didn't want to have any trouble. Luckily, her luggage was already at the airport. So she only needed to check in and board and she would be on the flight to London. Jelly Woods, the girlfriend of the President, would join her. After all, she was sick of Lory not marrying her for over ten years, ignoring his own feelings. She wanted to teach him a lesson, not more not less.

Jelly Woods knocked on the open door and saw Kanae jumping in Horror. "Oh shit! Well, I have to go! See you tomorrow!" Within the blink of an eye, Kanae was out of the room. Jelly looked over to Kyoko. "I know, it is hard but we need to get you in disguise. And it would take awfully long to do that, you know?" Jelly already had a image of the new Kyoko in her mind: A beautiful red head with long hair, green eyes and with a cool and reckless personality. The fact, that Kyoko learned martial arts for over a year now to get more challenging roles was just a bonus.

Kyoko looked back one more time after getting her bag out of her locker. She nodded and silently waved goodbye. Then she and Jelly left the Love Me room and headed to the one of the free changing and make up rooms, where Jelly died Kyoko's hair in a bright and at the same time somewhat darker red. She added extensions too, she wanted Kyoko to have her hair way down to her waist. The main hairdo would follow in London, for braiding cornrows and the thin braids in African style there was simply no time. Jelly did only make a sloppy hair knot and forced Kyoko to change into her new clothes. Green sneakers, a tight black pair of jeans, a red long shirt with black and grey ornaments – ending mid thigh, a leather jacket, sunglasses and a hat made a whole new picture of Kyoko. Some accessories like long necklaces and wristbands completed Kyoko's new image of Shizuka White, her new stage name.

Meanwhile, Jelly Woods changed too. She was wearing some clothes similar to Kyoko's, making the two of them looking like sisters. Kyoko nearly forgot to put in her green contacts, at the last minute Jelly reminded her to not forget them. After putting them in, they rushed outside of the LME building where they called a cab and left for the airport.

* * *

Later that day Lory Takarada would realize that not only Kyoko left, but rather Jelly went with her. He would call her, only to find out that her number didn't exist any more. He would go and check her apartment to find most of her clothes have vanished and he would find a short note of goodbye. He would try to hunt them down; the only problem will be that he didn't know Kyoko's whereabouts. After all, Kyoko hadn't informed him where and how long she'll be gone. In the end, he would be joined by a furious and frustrate Tsuruga Ren.

* * *

The check in went on smoothly and the two young woman spent their waiting time at one of the restaurants, drinking tea and eating cupcakes. Luckily, they weren't recognized by the others, which meant no trouble at all. "Are you really okay with leaving the President behind?" Kyoko asked her new friend. She knew that she could trust Jelly without a doubt. But she had an unpleasant feeling dragging Jelly along.

The other young woman thought a few minutes while sipping her tea. "Let me say it straight out: That stupid fool played love cupid over the past few years. Don't think this is bad but he ignored my feelings or took them for granted or I don't know. I think, it is time to teach him a lesson and let him taste his own medicine."

"And if he finds another love?" Kyoko questioned Jelly skeptically. "Wouldn't this mean you lost him?" She went on.

"Well, if he does so then this would mean I was never good enough for him. This is my own risk of taking the bet. Getting my heart broken." Jelly laughed. She was gambling and she was well aware of her chances losing the bet. Instead of making her sad, she felt somewhat excited. There was the possibility of Lory loving her and staying in the situation she momentarily was in would drive her mad sooner or later. So she took the chance to walk off with Kyoko and helping the girl and – mainly – helping herself. Kyoko landed herself an acting job in London, because of some connections she made at the shooting of the Tragic Marker and Jelly would be her manager in London. That brought her to one question. "Why do you actually want to leave Tokyo? Is it due to Ren?"

"Wha-What do you mean?" Kyoko stuttered helplessly. "Well, maybe because of his actions? He did… he did…" Not finishing her answer Kyoko blushed, making all tomatoes in Japan envy her. She hanged her head but this was not helping her to reduce the red in her face. Even her ears blushed.

Jelly burst out laughing. She soon realized her actions draw too much attention. She tuned her laugher down to giggling and held her stomach. One look in Kyoko's hurt face made her stop. "I'm sorry. I didn't thought he would go that far. Why?"

Kyoko forced herself to calm down. Mio wanted to come to the surface. "Well, after the filming of **Dragonheart** the whole crew dragged me off to celebrate. It was a first for me – I assume I drank too much alcohol, not that I wanted to – and called Tsuruga-san later that evening. I simply asked him if he could give me a ride home. I don't know, but Tsuruga-san nearly fought with Muramase-san. I don't know why…" Kyoko spaced off, but came back fast. "Instead of driving me home he drove me to his apartment and we ended up kissing fiercely. And then we…" She didn't finish her words. "Somehow I wasn't able to refuse that time." She mumbled, barely hearable. She was ashamed of herself arousing that feeling in Tsuruga-san, since he was her sempai. It wasn't proper for a kouhai to be in a relationship with his or her sempai. Although she realized that evening she was in love with Ren and this simply couldn't be. She didn't think ever once Ren could have feelings for her too, the possibility of being in love with Kyoko. So she assumed she was leaving for the best, anyway he told Bo he secretly loved somebody else.

Jelly was about to reply, but was interrupted by the announcement that their boarding began. Having the bill paid beforehand they stood up and left. Jelly forgot what she was going to say and simply went to the boarding area and past the airport security. Soon the where entering the plain took their seats. They flew business class, Jelly had paid half of Kyoko's ticket, otherwise Kyoko would sit alone in the economy class. More and more passengers took their places. Not long, and the airplane left and took of the airstrip. It was a 12 hour flight and they decided in unison to sleep. They were about three hours in the air in deep sleep when two men found at that either their girlfriend or soon-to-be girlfriend were missing. Their fear was doubled as they found out no evidence of their whereabouts existed.

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Hello there! I hope you enjoyed my first chapter of my story. Well, I'm still new in writing fan fictions, so... Well, just review and tell me what you think about it. I'm looking forward to hearing/reading from you! I will take your comments, suggestions and every sort of criticism by heart! (I'm kinda on a loss of words...)


	2. Realizing

**Forever More**

**2. Chapter: Realizing **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

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Ren opened the door to his apartment. Half of his self hoped to see Kyoko inside, the other half knew it was impossible. She wouldn't use the spare key he gave her without telling him beforehand, so it wasn't a big surprise when he found his apartment empty. He did not bother to switch on the lights since he was the only one home. Exhausted as he was, he slumped his body on the couch and switched on the TV set. As luck would have it, there was a late evening run of **Box R**. He watched Kyoko's acting as Natsu and thought about his day. He, the NG's Prince has gotten more than ever at one day. He couldn't recall the reason but something deep down in his mind told him today hadn't been normal. Without knowing what he was doing he speed dialed Kyoko's number. First, he couldn't believe the words he heard, then his body went numb, completely numb. The handy crashed on the phone while the stoic voice repeated the poisonous words over and over again: "The number you dialed is not assigned."

At the same time Lory Takarada stomped down a hallway in his mansion. He had called Jelly countless times in the last few hours. He was furious that she didn't pick up his calls at all. He was dressed as a Viking warrior, his outfit completed with a shield and sword. His murderous intend crept to the surface as he knocked repeatedly at Jelly's room door. The chirping voice he assumed behind the door wasn't answering. His patience didn't last any longer. He nearly tore the door off its hinges. The room was abandoned. There were no clothes lying around, no jewelry, no cosmetics and make up bags at all. The room was practically empty, only the furniture was left behind and a mobile lying left alone on a table in the middle of the room. Taken back, Lory slowly went to the table and picked it up. No note was attached but he knew Jelly wouldn't be anywhere he could track her down. She had left, maybe forever. It took his time to get Lory to realize she really wasn't there anymore. He was shocked. He had never ever thought that the small and lively woman he deeply loved could actually leave him.

Ren's numbness went away and he was soon seething with rage. Furious he walked down to the basement and started his car. The black Porsche then was speeded recklessly through Tokyo violating more than one traffic rule until he stopped with screeching tires in front of the Takarada mansion. If it wasn't for the electric fence surrounding the whole estate he would have just climbed it and tore down the front door. Ren was frantically forcing his mask as Tsuruga Ren to last on, but it wouldn't take long for it to crack. Sebastian led him to Lory's private office and told him to wait. A few minutes after a seemingly depressed Lory joined him. Before even greeting his guest the President went in a beeline to the house bar and drank two great mouthful of Tequila, not bothering to take a glass. Only then he turned to Ren. "What do you need this late hour? You even bothered to appear in person."

Ren, at the edge of cracking just raised an eyebrow at Lory's behavior. Most of the time he was flashy and embarrassing, but know he saw a completely new side of his employer. He thought about how to answer when Lory interrupted him. "Bring it on, I'm in a bad mood right now."

"Welcome to the club." Ren replied sarcastically. "If there wasn't the matter of Kyoko gone missing and leaving behind her mobile with her number not assigned I wouldn't be here. I would be sleeping right now, so thank you for your concern." He explained with bitter tone. Kuon scratched at his mask and was craving to come out. It took Ren the last ounce of his willpower to held Kuon in place.

"Kyoko went… WHAT?" It took Lory quite a while to fully understand what Ren had told him. He went to a small lounge in a corner of the office and sat down. He covered his head in his hands. There wasn't a thing worse than what was happening this moment. He sighed heavily. "Ren, I did know Kyoko wanted some time off to be alone but I never imagined that it would cause such a mess." Lory was at a loss of words. "Since she requested it herself I gave her a few days off. Unfortunately…" He had trouble to continue and it took him a few minutes to go on. "Unfortunately Jelly is also missing. She left behind her mobile. I'm not sure whether a correlation exists between the two of them leaving at the same time. Jelly never said anything of taking a break and Kyoko promised me to be available." A boat sailing in a heavy storm would be more stable than the ground under the feet of the two men. What problems would arise neither of them could possible know.

Ren managed to hold Kuon under control. Jelly's disappearance caused him to look at the events from a complete knew angle. It gave them a massive turn. He had known Jelly since he came to Japan and was saved by the President. Jelly had known him as the human wreck he had been and saw him change. She was one of the few people around him who was a true friend – or had thought so. His mind was going crazy. While the President wasn't interpreting anything to the fact that the two girls had vanished together, he on the other hand wasn't able to believe it. Something was lingering in his thoughts but he wasn't able to get a hold on it. Something which could tell him why… Again he was interrupted by the President.

"Want a drink?" Lory asked Ren. He for himself needed another shot to get a hold of the events. It was too late to even start thinking what to do, most of the public authorities he needed help from were closed now. "Hell, I didn't know such a disaster could even happen!" He took two glasses out of the house bar, poured tequila and whisky in one glass each and went back to the couch. Once again he slumped himself down on the soft cushions. The two glasses stood on the coffee table in front of the lounge. "Take a seat." With a gesture he signaled Ren to sit down too. He shoved the whisky glass in Ren's hand as he sat.

Ren didn't say anything and just stared at golden liquid in his glass. The color reminded him of Kyokos eyes. He hoped he could see and hug her again soon, a nagging feeling told him he wouldn't. He needed Kyoko more than anything on the world, he couldn't imagine how to survive without her any more. Then he drained down the whole whisky with one gulp. If he wasn't used to drink whisky this way he would have coughed due to the acidity of the alcohol. "Is there anything we could do now to find them both? Because I really do think they left together!" He suspected a bigger reason behind the leaving of the two girls than only taking a few days of. It made him sick that he couldn't be able to help his beloved if trouble arose.

Lory thought about it, only he wasn't clear about the reason why Jelly left. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? He questioned himself until Ren's voice brought him back to reality. "No, there isn't anything we could actually do. The contacts I need to help me are already sleeping. I don't want to wake them up otherwise I won't be able to claim some old favors and depts." Sadly, that was only too true. "Will you stay? I could have Sebastian fix a room for you?"

Ren nodded. "No, thanks. I'm going to drive home." After having said the words he stood up, put down the glass and left without another word. Both men were too lost in their thoughts to bother with the correct etiquette. Soon after Ren reached the basement of his apartment complex. It took him all of his will to get out of the car, ride the elevator up to his apartment and open the door. He went straight to the kitchen and searched for the hidden whisky bottle. He took quite a few mouthfuls before he went to bad and fell to sleep, having nightmares all night long.

* * *

At another country the night was far away and an airplane lowered itself and began to land on the airstrip. Kyoko opened her eyes groggily, realizing they had arrived. Jelly beside her was already awake bouncing up and down in her seat. Over twelve hours staying on the airplane was a nuisance, but necessary. "Jelly?" Kyoko asked concerned.

"Well, I haven't told you something yet." Jelly felt guilty for not telling Kyoko. "My older sister lives in London and I asked her to pick us up. I haven't seen her since ages and we're going to stay the first week at her house. So we could furnish our apartment without troubles. I hope you'll be okay with the arrangement?" She blurted out the truth.

Kyoko wasn't quite awake yet. She focused on getting her brain working again while listening to Jelly's explanation. First, she wasn't really fond of the idea but she wasn't able to resist the puppy dog look drawn on Jelly's face. It reminded her of Ren. Her heart ached so she put a lock on her feelings before they could show on her face. Finally awake she looked at Jelly who was on the edge on begging Kyoko on the knees to approve of her plan.

"If it's not too much trouble for your sister I think it's okay." Smilling, she looked out of the small window as the plane touched the ground. After a few minutes they rolled to the gate entrance. Among the passengers a slightly panic spread. Everyone wanted to get off the plane as quickly as possible. Kyoko therefore told Jelly to wait because Jelly too wanted to see her sister. A few minutes of waiting wouldn't destroy the sisters' reunion. When only a few passengers were left, the two girls moved. They got their luggage which thankfully had arrived completely and left the airport.

Outside the airport asmall family was waiting. A small woman with a twin baby buggy was waiting for her sister. On her side, a tall brown haired man stood out of the crowd, a small girl at the age of primary school riding on his shoulders. The moment Jelly and Kyoko left the airport the little girl started screaming on the top of her lungs. "Mum, Mum, Mum! Auntie is there!"

Jelly heard the high pitched voice of her oldest niece and dropped everything. Fast as a tornado Jelly rushed to her sister's side, closing her into a bear hug that nearly crushed her. "Ran, I'm so glad to be here! I missed you so much!"

"It's good to have you back!" Ran replied with tears in her eyes. Meanwhile jelly's niece Sora was on the ground, hugging her aunt from behind and whined. "I want to hug you too, Auntie!" As requested Jelly picked her up and cuddled her. "Hey there, Sora! You grew since last time!" She smiled.

Being freed from his burden, Aaron – Ran's husband – went looking for Kyoko. Jelly simply had momentarily forgotten her young friend, leaving her behind and let her deal with the luggage of both of them.

Kyoko wasn't really excited when Jelly ran off, leaving her behind with the entire luggage. Now she was standing at a crowded place in a foreign country and her only connection to someone ran away. Grumbling she threw Jelly's back bag over her shoulder, tied Jelly's second bag somehow to her suitcase and then heaved the two heavy suitcase. Her grudge demons were buzzing around her and searching for Jelly. Sadly, there were too many people around, so the demons went back to their master. Kyoko managed to get to a less crowded area without bumping in too many people. Her suitcase fell on her toes as a hand landed on her shoulder. Cursing the person who did this she turned around only to stare at a handsome and tall man. He chuckled, stating the obvious. "Sorry, did I surprise you?"

"Hell, yes, you have! It's painful, you know?" Some of her grudge demons were flying happily around her. They hadn't shown up for some time because there wasn't anything to do for them. "At least say sorry!" She stated angrily, a cold glance shining in her eyes.

Aaron took a step back. The malicious aura around the beautiful red head was threatening. "Whoa! Hold your horses, girl! I'm only here to help." He tried to explain. The girl was somehow frightening him. As the temperature went down a few degrees he trembled.

"And why would you do so, young man?" Mio was out. Kyoko let her take over to deal with the annoying man. Mio came in handy at times like these.

"First, I'm here to do my wife a favor. Second, I was curios to meet you. Third, I'm Jelly's brother-in-law. Fourth, you are Kyoko Mogami, aren't you?" Aaron wasn't sure if he really had the right person. Jelly described Kyoko Mogami as a loving, friendly and good-hearted girl. The young woman before him was the complete opposite of the description. Adding to do that, why did he answer the way he did? He wasn't afraid of this girl, or at least he told that himself.

At the answer Mio let go of Kyoko and gave her back the control of her body and mind. "Sorry to cause you trouble." She bowed to the words. She glanced at the man, who seemingly was completely astonished by her.

"You're welcome. Give me the two suitcases. I hope we will find the others soon." Aaron couldn't tell what happened right in front of his eyes. He had seen Kyoko's performances as Mio, Natsu, Shinagori Haruka and her other two characters whose names he didn't remember anymore. To him, the girl was chameleon. The two walked in silent through the crowed, Kyoko behind the man.

"Mister, may I know your name?" She asked the man. It was an awkward situation. She followed a man she didn't know and even entrusted him with the belongings of her and Jelly. She didn't know where they were heading to, other than Aaron she wasn't able to see the others due to her height

Aaron had spotted his family and went a beeline. As soon as he reached them he turned around. "I'm Aaron Thorne. This is my wife and Jelly's sister Ran. The small monkey girl on clinging to Jelly is my oldest daughter Sora. The twins are Joshua on the right– called Josh – and Chester – called Chess – on the left." He smiled proudly while introducing his small family.

Kyoko bowed again. "I'm pleased to meet you and thank you for having me. I'm Kyoko Mogami, or rather Shizuka White." Then she lifted herself up. A small crying sound coming from the buggy reminded them that they were still at the airport.

Ran smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet you. But we better move on. Chess isn't very fond of the noise." With this word she turned the buggy. It took them only a few minutes to arrive at the parking lot. "Wait here."

Kyoko was puzzled but stopped. Beside her, Jelly was chatting erratically with Ran to make up the missing two years when they haven't seen each other in person. "Daddy is getting the car." Sora was curious about the young girl. She knew that her auntie would bring a friend of hers. Her mum had also told her about the girl and that she was an actress. She even had shown her a DVD of the children's drama she had acted in. She compared Kyoko to the princess she had but couldn't find any similarities. "Are you really the one who played the princess in **Snow and Ice**?"

Kyoko looked down at the black haired girl who stared at her with shining ice blue eyes. "Yes. Did you like it?" Kyoko loved children even if she though she herself wouldn't make a good mother. Furthermore, that she could love someone so much to have children with him. Yet again Ren's face popped up in her mind and she forcefully shoved the picture out of her inner sight. The chirping bell-like voice of Sora was a welcomed interruption to her.

"Yuki is so cool! She is so… I don't know how to say it, she was… simply great. I don't like Aisu. She is mean and sneaky and she wanted to lock away Aki!" Sora nearly shouted at the last words.

* * *

**Snow and Ice** was the last production Kyoko had worked on beside **Dragonheart** in. It was a children's fantasy drama. It was currently aired in Japan in twenty-six episodes.

_Yuki was a young princess. She was spirited and kindhearted and didn't believe in evil. Her older sister Aisu – which means ice – was the complete opposite of Yuki. Yuki was the one who got the most of their father's attention, making Aisu jealous. Their mother died due to a severe illness and left Aisu with the task to raise Yuki. Aisu first was happy about it but her heart cooled down over the time until she couldn't love anyone anymore because her father only took note of the little sister. She got meaner and harassed her sister when she could. Aki, Yuki's friend was a big tame snow tiger, a present from her father. He accompanied Yuki everywhere. As the storyline went on, Aisu tried to lock Aki away simply to let Yuki feel the pain of abandonment. There were some smaller and bigger incidents which brought the ttwo sisters closer to each other. At the end they had reconciled due to Yuki's hard work. She had her father remind his first daughter and brought the family back together with the help of her kind heart and her fairy friends. Aki didn't approve of Aisu and would always growl when he sees her, but the two sisters and their father would laugh it off. _

The storyline had hit Kyoko's taste precisely and she had enjoyed filming most since she played the role of Yuki. However her co-worker had been Matsunai Ruriko what had made Kyoko uncomfortable the first time. But it had turned out better than the whole crew had guessed. The open rivalry and the will to surpass Kyoko had pushed Ruriko's acting abilities not only one time. Yes, the filming had been a lot of fun and to think that the snow tiger had somehow become her pet after the filming was even funnier.

* * *

Kyoko smirked. "I really like you! Do you want to meet Aki?" Aki wouldn't join her until the next month due to the quarantine laws in England. The former owner of Aki died in the middle of the filming of **Snow and Ice** and the tiger wouldn't allow anyone besides him except Kyoko. Therefore the President had the ownership assigned to Kyoko without her knowing and she had gotten a pet earlier than she had wanted.

"I could meet Aki? I want, I really want to!" Sora stared at Kyoko, stars twinkling in her eyes. "Mum, am I allowed to meet Aki?" She turned to Ran, interruption the conversation of the two sisters.

"Why do you think you would be able to?" Ran asked. At first she didn't know what her daughter was meaning but then she realized who her daughter was talking about. "Why should you be allowed to see the tiger **Snow and Ice**?" She asked. Jelly hadn't told her about Kyoko being the tiger's master. Jelly was one of the two persons knowing about Aki, the second was the President.

"Well…" Both Kyoko and Jelly spoke to the same time but were cut off by the sight of a car stopping on the side of the pavement. The driver's door opened and Aaron got out of the car. Ran meanwhile opened the rear trunk. "Put your luggage inside. I'm going to get the twins seated."

Kyoko and Jelly looked at each other, shrugged and silently agreed to explain the spoken matter later that day. Aaron watched the two young women, feeling that something more or less big would happen. He didn't take his thoughts further and stored their luggage along with the buggy inside the rear trunk of the black Chevrolet Tahoe. Kyoko and Jelly sat down in the last row of the seven-seater. The ride to the house of the Thorne family didn't take home and it was a pleasant silent ride. The twins slept, Sora was exhausted and dreamed about meeting Aki, Jelly and Kyoko were enjoying the thought of a hot shower, Ran and Aaron talked silently.

After they arrived and dispelled the rear trunk they went inside. Sora proudly showed Kyoko the room she would stay in and showed her everything else. Ran did the same with her sister. They settled in and used the time until dinner to shower and rest a little. Ran said she would have Sora to take them down when dinner was ready.

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Hello again! Thanks for reading my story! I really surprised when I read the reviews. I hope you will like this chapter too! I just felt like giving Jelly a family. This may seem weird to you, but you will know soon enough why (mainly in the next chapters). So please review and I'll try to update really fast!

P.S.: I'm not making any advertising in mentioning the car (Chevrolet Tahoe), I simply want to help you imagine since I myself am a total loss when it comes to cars...


	3. What a mess!

**Forever More**

**3. Chapter: **What a mess!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

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When dinner was ready Sora raced the stairs and knocked at Kyoko's door. She got no answer. Unsure of what to do she knocked again. This time a voice answered. "Come in." Sora opened the door saw Kyoko combing her hair. She only had seen it as the sloppy knot it was after the flight. Yet it fell down its full length. "Wow, your hair is really long!" Sora fascinated the color. She hadn't seen anyone with such hair. She was a little envious. Hers were only falling to her shoulders.

Kyoko glanced at the little girl. "Want to help me?" She handed the brush over to the girl anyway. Her hair had entangled itself but she had gotten rid of all the knots before. Long hair was bothersome but she needed it for her next role – the job she had landed herself back in Japan. Tomorrow Jelly would braid the cornrolls and thin braids into her hair.

Sora looked stunned but soon took up the task that was given to her. Happily she brushed Kyoko's hair. How she wished she had such hair too! After she had finished, she gave Kyoko back the brush. "Can I help you some more?"

Kyoko laughed. She recognized her little self in the girl. "No. But can I brush your hair too?" As expected Sora immediately sat down in front of Kyoko. "Wow! That's so cool! A star is brushing my hair! Can I call you big sis?"

"Sure! But than you're little sis, okay?" Kyoko answered. Instead of just brushing Kyoko braided the black hair of Sora. She took one hair tie out of her make up bag. Her best friend had given it to her, stating she didn't need such a flashy blue kanzashi flower. It was shimmering and glittering in different shades of blue. Kyoko had sewn the flower on a hair tie. Yet she fixed Sora's pigtail with it. "Here you go! Finished!" She said with a wide grin.

Sora immediately ran to the mirror. "Thank you!" She squealed. "Okay, I'm little sis and what are the twins?" She asked Kyok.? Sora wasn't really shy so she talked on. In addition, Auntie and Kyoko would move in an apartment only two blocks from her house.

Kyoko considered what she could actually call the twins. "How are cookie monster one and two?"

Sora rolled of laughter. Kyoko was funny! At that moment, Jelly opened the door. "Auntie, Kyoko's now my big sis and I'm her little sis. And the twins are cookie monster one and two!" Sora stated happily.

Jelly looked at the two precious girls. Ren would have a hell of work and talking to do to get Kyoko back. Sora already loved her, Aaron was captivated and Ran thought of Kyoko like a stepdaughter already. _Try to get her out of this family and I presume you'll be dead, Ren_, she thought. "That's all well and good, but hadn't your mum told you to get us for dinner?"

"Oh yeah! Come down." Speedy like a weasel Sora was out of the door and downstairs. The ones left behind could only gap. Then they followed. Ran had made Japanese food because they often had it at home. Ran had lived for years in London now . But there were some western side dishes, for instance French fries.

"Looks delicious!" And it tasted delicious too. Dinner was lively. Most of the time Sora spoke, she was a really cute kid. She talked about her school, her friends and many other things. But soon it was time for her to go to bed. First, she whined a little bit, wanting to stay up longer with her little sis, then she was reassured that Kyoko will be here tomorrow to. It took Ran about half an hour to get her daughter into the bed. After that, she joined Aaron, Jelly and Kyoko in the living room.

"So, there are a few things I wanted to talk about and they're very important. So please hear me out." Jelly began. "Nobody back in Japan knows why the two of us left – I assure you, it's not because of something criminal – and where we went. I wanted to teach Lory a lesson. He hasn't even said he loved me once while he played cupid to every other person. Kyoko's reason is slightly different, but when or if she wants to tell you, she will. Lory hopefully won't think we're here in London. Should he call, neither of you heard of me in the last few months. Sadly it's necessary to get him off track." She paused, looking at the stern faces of her relatives. They nodded. "Kyoko and I will use fake names while we're here. It's okay to us our given names inside the house but not in public or when there are visitors. Remember, Kyoko is a rising actress in Japan and well known and she suddenly vanished. So it would be troublesome for her to be identified in England. Also Lory would be able to get us down. Kyoko will go with the name of Shizuka White. I – for myself – will be Alice Frost. "

"You're going to use that name again?" Ran smiled. Jelly had used it only twice before. Namely, to get rid of two marriage candidates her father had picked for her and her sister.

"Yes, I'm fond of the name." Jelly laughed. Then, she was serious again. "So the last thing would be… I'm really thankful you helped us to find an apartment nearby but we need to get a house with a wide garden." Ran and Aaron looked puzzled. Before they could ask, Jelly went on. "There are some difficulties, we didn't know last month. It's because…" Jelly didn't know how to explain a full-grown, male snow tiger was with them.

"… because of Aki." Kyoko took over.

Aaron raised his hand. "And with Aki you mean… you're not telling me Aki is the snow tiger co-starring in **Snow and Ice**?" He asked with disbelieve. How on earth was that even possible? Ran looked as shocked as he felt.

"Well, yeah. May I explain?" Kyoko didn't wait for them to answer. "While the shooting of **Snow and Ice **his former owner died, Aki didn't let anyone except me near to himself. I was the only one who was able to talk to him, feed him without him getting angry. He only heard to my words, he looked at the others like he was about to eat them. So President arranged some little things which I didn't know until he gave me a folder with documents. I had bluntly asked him what this meant, because there were some health records in it – and they weren't mine. Let's face the facts: He arranged me of being the new owner of Aki. Therefore we need a garden where we could build a cage suitable for him. I already have all documents ready. Aki is already in London but has to stay in quarantine." She finished explaining.

"That's all for the good, but do you know what a risk you're taking? I mean, taking care of a full-grown tiger isn't really easy. Did you consider that he could attack you any time?" Aaron asked his voice full of concern. He was captivated by the girl and wanted to protect her.

"Yes. It's not that I wanted it from the beginning but there isn't another way to do this. Recall, he didn't let anyone except me near him. He wouldn't feed, drink or move at all. He was like that. They would have had to euthanize him and I didn't want seeing him killed. But thanks for your concern." She sheepishly replied, looking a little down.

Ran looked somewhat angry to her husband. "It's okay, dear. For the house, the one beside us is on the market. It has a large garden. I only hope you won't throw Sora head on into the cage with Aki. Whereas… well Josh and Chess should get a shock treatment when they're older. If there is anything left we could help you with just say so." Ran said.

Kyoko stood up and bowed deeply. "You're too kind but I don't want to make any trouble. I'm sorry to bother you!" She said, her attitude changing abruptly. She seemed to be glued to the floor doing a dogeza.

Ran laughed, Aaron was shocked – he didn't know what this gesture meant and Jelly had already predicted this. She wasn't as good as Kanae on getting Kyoko back to her feed but she had her own way. She had discovered Kyoko responded immediately if she was spoken to with on of her character's names. The only problem was that not Kyoko herself answered but rather the character. Jelly prepared herself mentally to fight with one of Kyoko's strongest characters. "Wow, I got actually to see Natsu doing a dogeza. How interesting!" Jelly spat out.

A second later an enraged Natsu looked down on Jelly. "Do you want to play with me, sweetie?"

Jelly gulped. "No, but can you please give us back Kyoko? Erm, she should discuss some serious matter with us." Hopefully this would work otherwise she would have to lure out Kyoko in one way or another. The problem was, she didn't know any tricks to do so.

"Only because you're asking so nicely!" After that Natsu left and Kyoko returned. "I'm so sooorrryyyy!" She wanted to go on thankfully Aaron stopped her.

"It's okay. Back to topic. You'll be Shizuka White. I assume you'll play her like a character?" Aaron asked.

Kyoko nodded. "She'll have some of Haruka's characteristics. Mainly the martial arts points, her driving skills and part of her coldness. Added to I'm going to add a bad girl attitude and a certain level of neglect. With this, I hope to confuse the people. The director of my first film here signed a contract to net let my name slip. It would be pretty unpleasant for him if he did." Kyoko smirked.

Jelly took over again. "I will be here manager and make up artist. No one really knows me in person and I doubt they would recognize me anyway." She added. She had her hair did in a chocolate brown and added a permanent wave to her hair.

Both Aaron and Ran nodded. "We will keep that in mind. Sora would likely call you big sis every time she sees you, so there wouldn't be any problem. We will explain to her how important it is to not mention your name and to not reveal we have actually guests at home." Aaron glanced at a clock. "It's time to go to bed. We'll see us tomorrow! I wish you both a good night!" He said, standing up and leaving for the stairs. Ran hugged Jelly and Kyoko. Jelly and Kyoko waited a little longer, finishing their tea before they went to sleep too. They were both exhausted from the stress released in the last 24 hours. While they drifted in to the sweet world of dreams people in another country were standing up and getting ready for work.

* * *

Ren and Lory both woke up with a throbbing pain in there heads. They thought a circus orchestra played a very bad march, trying to include as many mistakes as possible. Both men cursed in first line their stupid women for making them drink as much as they did. They weren't quite awake and couldn't think at anything else than a cold bottle of water and two aspirins. After having both, they both brushed their teeth, hoping to get cat out of their mouths which seemed to have slept in there. They were in a really miserable state. A cold shower – which both of them weren't fond of – they finally managed to wake up. Even if they were separated through a physical distance, the two men felt somehow mentally connected. While Ren took his car to fetch Yashiro, Lory ordered Sebastian to drive him to LME. Today, he didn't wear something flamboyant, later the day everyone would be surprised by seeing the president in a pair of blue jeans and a ragged t-shirt.

* * *

Yashiro was terrified to see the state Ren was in. the actor didn't even say a word and was in a bad mood the whole time. Onlyduring the photo shoot the darkened mood would go away come back immediately after ending. He was curious what happened and was about to ask Ren. Just this minute his mobile rang. Using some gloves he took the call. He was surprised to hear the President speaking who told him to come to his office as soon as possible. There was an emergency meeting. Yashiro informed Ren who only nodded and left the shoot right away after finishing. Yashiro found Ren's driving style this day life-threatening. His costumer and friend was violating the traffic rules. Correction, he was driving as if there weren't any traffic rules at all. What the hell had happened last night? Yashiro soon should find out.

Lory meanwhile was walking up and down his office restlessly. Sebastian just waited for instructions and had lost count of how many meters his employer went. He guessed that soles of the Presidents' shoes would fall of due to his walking. He shook his head at his chef's behavior. Maybe it had something to do with Miss Woods not being at home this morning. That moment the door opened. "Good morning, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san. Please follow me." He led the two men to the President's office. "Please go in. He's waiting." He nodded one time and looked at Yashiro. This man had the same puzzled look as him but he could only shrug his shoulders as explanation.

Yashiro's mouth fell open as Sebastian opened the door to the office. The President was running in circles restlessly wearing a troubled and furious look. His mouth fell open as he registered the President wore a mere pair of jeans, a ragged t-shirt and worn out sneakers. He couldn't help but stammer. "Pr… Pr… President? Is that you?"

"Sadly. But yes, it's really me." Lory answered. He hadn't even thought of dressing up this morning. Firstly his head was hurting too much and secondly, Jelly hadn't returned.

Ren was also slightly shocked by the simple outfit of the President. But there wasn't much else to say. "Did you receive any word of Kyoko? Or Jelly?" He asked.

Yashiro was bewildered. Kyoko went missing? And on top of that also Jelly? That eventually explained Ren's miserable mood and the get up of the President.

"No, sadly not. I have called at the police and some other places they might have gone to but no result. They seemed to have vanished into nothing!" Lory stated furiously. "They didn't rent a car, bought something with Jelly's credit card and there was no sight of two young girl loitering around in places they shouldn't be! What I found out that both Mogami-kun and Jelly have drawn out all money of their bank accounts." Lory didn't tell them that Jelly sold all her stocks in the last few weeks slowly, so he didn't notice. Only her stocks on LME weren't sold.

Ren was about to say something when they heard al loud bang. The office door was opened forcefully, revealing a very angry Kanae. Sebastian only stood outside the door dumbfounded. Lory's secretary tried to hinder Kanae getting into the office but it was obviously too late.

"YOU! BOTH OF YOU STUPID, IDIOTIC, IMBECILE MORONS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU STUPID ASSES! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS WHEN I AM FINISHED WITH YOU!" Kanae's voice was so loud the whole floor heard it and promptly gathered in the hallway. They stared at the scene in front of them Kanae was threatening the two men in front of her as if she was the avenging angel in person. It tokk her a few minutes to get herself under control. "Care to explain that to me?" Her icy tone was too scary and the room turned into Antarctic landscape. She held out a sheet of paper, some words written on it.

Both men were on guard. They carefully read the written words:

_Dear Moko-san!_

_You're the best friend I ever had and I will miss you deeply. But due to certain circumstances regarding Tsuruga-san and the President, Jelly and I are going to leave. I can't tell you where we're heading to nor can I tell you how long we'll be staying because we don't now. Say good bye for me to Maria-chan and say her I will miss her too. I wish you and Amamiya-san the best in your lives!_

_I hope to see you some day again, I miss you! Your best friend, _

_Mogami Kyoko. _

Both men starred each other. They hadn't noticed that someone joined them reading the letter. Maria was curious about what was going on and read the letter too.

"Onee-sama left with Jelly-san? And they don't know if they ever will return? You two are so mean, I HATE YOU! I WANT ONEE-SAMA BACK!" Maria started crying and it broke everyone's heart to see her in pain. But as soon she nearly shouted the words whispers arose in their audience. They were talking silently with each other and rumors started to build.

The people inside the office were too shocked from Maria's outburst to do anything about the people outside. And within this few minutes rumors started to spread like fire. Maria was crying silently at a corner while Kanae comforted her. She shot deadly looks at the President and Ren and if looks could kill the two would already be dead. Yashiro composed himself putting back on his glasses which felt of his nose earlier. Sebastian moved inside the room and wanted to close the door. Thoughtfully he shoved out the secretary before he shut the door.

"So what did you do, you morons? Or don't you even know what you did?" Kanae's icy voice came out of the corner where she was holding Maria. Her eyes were unforgiving and was joined by another pair of eyes in whose were written betrayal and hurt.

Ren had to put in much effort to stay calm composed. "I don't know what happened. I really don't know. Hell, if I knew I wouldn't here, you stupid woman!" He answered angrily.

At his words Kanae rose. Maria stood up to stand alone. "You dare to say stupid to me? May I remind you that you and that man over there," she pointed at the President, "are the cause of this mess? I know Kyoko the best, so don't you just say you knew nothing!" She said with a too calm voice.

Maria nodded. "Don't you dare to say that! If it was your fault Onee-sama ran away then find her and apologize properly! Until you haven't done that I'll be staying with Kotonami-san." She stated. Maria hadn't asked Kanae about that matter, but she hoped Kanae would play along.

"I assume you do as the little girl say. As long as this matter isn't resolved you're not going to see me again. If there's something you need, ask my manager. Don't count on me and Maria, we won't help you." She took Maria's hand in hers. "Come on, we're going. I don't want to be in the same room with those idiots any longer!" Without saying any more, she and Maria left the room.

It took the left men a few minutes to realize the events were turning more bad every minutes. Lory was taken back that his granddaughter had actually abandoned him. Ren had lost the sympathy of the only person really understanding Kyoko. Yashiro was cursing the momentary situation which left him with Ren as Demon Lord, making his own life into a living hell. Sebastian was the only one unaffected by the events.

Lory didn't know how to cope with the mess. He groaned as he took out his mobile and looked at one of Kyoko's fan site. He groaned. It was really bad. All his employees had signed a contract that if they heard some information inside which could hurt the company they had to shut up, otherwise they would use their work. Obviously there had been visitors too listening to the scene before. Nearly after an hour Ren had stepped into the office probably whole Japan were aware that their number one rising top actress vanished, her whereabouts unknown. The press would go crazy. As he looked at one of the monitors connected to the security cameras he saw that the entrance already was haunted by the press. "It doesn't look like we're going to get of the hook easily." Lory sighed. "Sebastian, call the airport and ask if Kyoko and Jelly took a flight to anywhere at the world, will you?"

Sebastian nodded and went out of the office to make the necessary calls. He didn't expect it to be successful. The director of the supervisory board wasn't very fond of LME President Lory Takarada since he caused him so many problems with one of his stars every time they flew somewhere. Sebastian wasn't surprised that only the police would get answer to that question. Additionally to that, Sebastian doubted that they would have used their real names and passport. Jelly knew all of Lory's contacts, so he guessed Jelly would have passports with their fake names prepared half legally. The passports wouldn't be fake ones so there will be no chance at all to track them on. He joined his chef back in his office and told him about his failing to get information. He also found out that the no one hasn't moved one inch. It would be quite some work to get rid of the reporters. Realizing that this would be mostly his work he sighed heavily. He better prepared for battle.

* * *

Dealing with the press wasn't pleasant. But this time Lory hated it. He cursed the one who leaked the information and posted it on the net. He would hold a press conference stating that Kyoko took a vacation due to health problems. He wouldn't answer any other questions and prepared himself for a mob. He had one or two business suits in storage. He changed in the office, not bothering to wear a necktie. All employees who saw him afterwards believed a miracle had happened. They have never ever seen their President in a suit. As he headed down to the conference room felt bad. What would happen now would affect the whole entertainment branch. Sebastian opened the door for him. Some press photographer and every reporter who could possibly fit in the room. He sighed before he stepped up the podium. He had ordered Ren to keep out and to avoid any more problems.

"Welcome at LME, ladies and gentleman! I'm here to rectify some rumors appearing on the internet. The rising actress, Mogami Kyoko, hadn't gone missing as it was wrongly stated. She had to take a leave due to serious health problems. We don't know when she'll be able to join us again. But I won't reveal either information about her whereabouts nor her health condition. I won't say anything more so I'll excuse myself. It was a pleasure to answer your questions. I wish you all a good day." With this he stepped down of the podium and headed to the door. Some reporters shouted questions, other tried to get near him. Sebastian had trouble to pilot his chef to the door. Soon he was back to the office where Ren was waiting.

"Want a drink?" Ren knew how bothering the press could be and he hated every single minute he had to deal with it.

"Hell yeah! Just let me get out of these annoying clothes." He answered. As soon as he was changed he took the glass Ren offered him and swallowed the whisky. His eyes found Ren. "Well, aren't you supposed to be at your next job?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you're alive. It would be bad if the mob had killed you. My salary would have been a hell to receive." Ren smirked. He gulped down the rest of his own whisky and walked away.

Lory followed with his eyes and closed them the moment the door was closed. He lowered himself down on the couch and his lips escaped only one word: "Why?"

Why did Jelly have to leave him? Lory questioned himself and didn't found the answer. In that point he was as oblivious as Kyoko was. Why did Kanae get Kyoko's letter and not Ren? And last but not least, why did Maria leave him? She was his precious granddaughter and now in the claws of the guard dog Cerberus – he gave Kanae this new nickname right that moment. He would have hell to pay to get Maria back and it would be the same with Kyoko and Jelly! He sighed. It was just great, the world was upside down and he didn't – for the first time in his whole life – know what to do at all. "Oh, Lord! What have I done to deserve that?" He cried out loud. Half he was expecting an answer but the room around him stayed silent.

* * *

Hello again! Next chapter is up. Hope you'll like it! I have added some trouble for Ren and Lory - as requested - and as the story will continue there'll be even more. (I'm sooooo evil! I'm thinking of a showdown between Aki and Ren later in the story… Muahaha) So please review!


	4. A New Beginnig

**Forever More**

**4. Chapter: **A New Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Ren's day went from uncomfortable to bad. When he was midway at the shooting of his new movie **Two Men, One Girl **his female lead thought it would be fun to tease him. She better wouldn't have. Daishi Moe joined Ren and Yashiro while lunch. There she began to mock about Kyoko. How the rising actress was unprofessional leaving because of some trivial matters, taking false pride in her work and accordingly the rumors of her sleeping with the directors to get all her roles should be mostly true. Unfortunately Daishi Moe didn't see the mood of her counterpart.

Yashiro flinched. Didn't the woman realize her own actions? He felt Ren's dark aura arise beside him and could only hope his friend could behave himself. Personally Yashiro hoped Ren would strangle the impertinent woman. She was a boot and had exactly character she was attaching on Kyoko. But murder wasn't the resolve to their problem. Before he could tell the bitch to shut up Ren blended in.

"Could you please stop? You don't know Kyoko so stop bad-mouthing her. I'm sure you would like to see her out of the entertaining business. She rivals you. But unfortunately you neither have her talent nor her courage and her kind heart. If you want to bad-mouth someone you should start at your own person. If you dare to say anything to the press regarding my or Kyoko prepare to fly out of your little world you used to be. A little bird told me the amount of money you paid to get this role in addition of sleeping with the president. Besides of having no talent at all you're just a disgrace to all other actors. Paying and sleeping with someone isn't really welcomed in this industry, sadly there are black sheep to corrupt any industry. But think of all your hurt fans if this little story came out to the open? Just think about it. We'll see us again." He stood up and left. This daughter of bitch had spoiled his appetite and his mood.

Yashiro didn't even glance at the woman as he followed Ren. He couldn't have said the words better. She dared to insult Kyoko, their secret princess at LME. The girl everybody loved because she had stayed normal and friendly at the crazy world of show business.

At the table Daishi Moe was trembling with horror. How did he know the truth? She only paid the money to be his co-star to catch him before any other woman did. She had screwed up pretty bad. Maybe the rumors about him and that little ally cat was true. At the moment she couldn't do anything.

As the shoot went on, Ren only talked to her when needed and that was mostly at scenes. He didn't even look at her the minute a shoot was called a wrap. Additionally he stayed at the largest distance possible. There was no way Ren's changed attitude at his leading actress was unnoticed. Because no one really liked Daishi Moe they stayed away from her to, excluding her from all personal conversations. Within some mere hours she was turned into a complete outcast. She was assaulted in one way she couldn't complain. It left her furious. If she ever found that girl who was the cause of all her problems she would get rid of her.

Later that day Ren left the shoot together with Yashiro. Ren didn't know what to do, so he dropped him at his apartment. He simply sat in the car for a few minutes, occupying the parking lot. Without any ideas what he was doing he pulled out of the parking lot and drove around Tokyo's streets aimlessly. He drove around like that over an hour before he stopped in front of Daruma-ya restaurant. He sighed, he knew Kyoko wasn't there because the President had already phoned and asked the elderly pair if they knew something about Kyoko. They said that Kyoko told them she was moving into a new apartment and that she was going on a holiday with a friend. He considered to go and eat something but decided to not. He wasn't in disguise, could easily be recognized and on top of all it was a family restaurant. Restless as he was he drove around a little more until he reached his apartment again. Listless he watched some poorly filmed TV series without really watching it. Then he went through his scripts for tomorrows filming. The next time he glanced at the clock it was time to go to bed if he didn't want to turn completely in a complete ghost. Again two glasses of Whisky helped him to get to sleep.

* * *

Kyoko opened one of her eyes groggily. The time difference wasn't precisely pleasant. She stood up and went to the bathroom. After half an hour she was ready for the day. She wore the clothes Jelly picked for her: One short kilt-skirt in black and red, black fishnet tights, a simple white t-shirt, a black leather jacket and some accessories. "Morning!" The Thorne family sat at the table and ate breakfast.

Sora looked up and nearly screamed. "Good Morning, big sis! Do want breakfast too?" Before Kyoko could even answer a plate, flatware and a glass appeared on a table. Sora beamed at her as she began to eat again.

"Thanks there." A bit of Shizuka's character came out. She began to eat and silence surrounded the table. Kyoko wasn't used to the western style breakfast but it tasted well. "Sora, do you have school today?"

"Yes. But I'll be home at the afternoon. Are you at home then?" Sora asked excited. There were stars glittering in her eyes. Maybe she could play with her new big sis after school and maybe her big sis could help her with her homework.

"I don't know. I have to ask Jelly. I don't know if I have already anything scheduled this week. But when I have free time, I'll play with you." Kyoko answered.

"Okay, my little sparrow." He kissed Sora on her forehead. "I'm off to work. Take good care of the two monsters, my love." He kissed Ran and was out of the door.

Ran looked lovingly after her husband. Right that moment the little cookie monsters thought it would be fun to play with their mush. Ran had a hard time to stop them splashing around with it and throwing their spoons. Kyoko took cover under the table and Sora followed. "You guys, stop it. I have to take you two to daycare and Sora to school. If you mess with your clothing I'll be late for work. Sora, help me change them."

Sora grumbled but helped her mother. Meanwhile Kyoko started to clean the table. Jelly wouldn't be up for another hour. After all the mess and the twins were cleaned the rest of the Thorne family left the house. Kyoko waited for Jelly while watching TV. She made some green tea and went through her script. Then, after one hour Jelly came down the stairs. Since she wasn't a big tea drinker Kyoko fixed her a fast breakfast and a big cup of hot and strong coffee. Jelly enjoyed her coffee more than anything else.

"Thank you, Kyoko." Jelly hushed Kyoko out of the kitchen so she at least could clean her dishes herself. Afterwards she told Kyoko to go to the living room and sit down at the floor. She herself sat down at the couch. "I'm going to do the braiding. You can watch TV, it will take quite some time." Jelly then began braiding. Kyoko read a book, watched TV, dozed a little and talked with Jelly. Finally, after four hours Jelly was finished with the braiding. Kyoko know had a beautiful pattern of cornrows about ten centimeters long and small thin braids down to her waist. On the end of the braids small wooden pearls in different shades of green were braided in and made gentle clicking voice.

"Finally!" Kyoko groaned, stood up and stretched. Then she looked at her mirror image. "Wow! Those are looking good. Really! You're for sure the witch!" Kyoko loved her knew hairstyle. It made her look older and it was different to every other hairstyle. "Do I have anything scheduled this afternoon? Otherwise I'm going to spend it with Sora."

Jelly smiled. "Yes, you have. But you'll be finished before Sora comes back from school. We have a meeting with Will Taylor. He's going to introduce you to your co-workers and the whole crew. The filming of **Bad Luck – Good Luck **has already started. They only have done a few scenes because you're the main actress." She answered. Then she searched for something. "Okay. The president of Atlantic Entertainment is a child hood friend of mine. We're both under her wing for now. My friend promised to not to let anything slip. In fact she's angry at Lory for making me hurt. She was more than willing to help." Jelly had found what she was searching for. "This is your mobile. I can't drive but since you've a driving license – for car and motorbike – my friend gave me those." She held up to keys. One was for a black Ducati Hypermotard 1100S which was parked at the basement parking lot at Atlantic Ent. The second one was for a ruby colored Aston Martin Vanquish. This one parked right in front of the house. "Let's go!" Jelly put on her shoes and jacket and was out of the door.

Kyoko could only stare dumbfounded at the two keys in her hands. Sure, she had the licenses and she had actually raced for **Dragonheart**. Therefore she knew how to handle powerful and heavy machines as well as cars. But that was a little off hand Kyoko thought. Given that Jelly was already outside the door Kyoko had no other choice but to follow. She put on her ankle boots with low heels, her hat and her driving gloves made of leather. Outside the door she examined the car while Jelly was locking the door. As soon as she knew how to handle the car they drove away. The next time the driver's door opened Kyoko was Shizuka White.

* * *

Director Will Taylor and the rest of the crew looked up as an extraordinary and expensive car parked fifty meters in front of them. Only a few of them had seen this rare sight. Whispers started as soon as the young girl who seemed not older than eighteen exited the car. Beside her a slightly older woman strolled down the way to the building complex. Both women stopped in front of the gathering.

The punk girl looked around and her eyes met the directors' eyes. "Hello, Director Taylor. We meet again. I'm Shizuka White." She greeted in a slightly annoyed tone. "And this is my manager Alice Frost." The young girl introduced Jelly with her fake name.

After saying her name Director Taylor recognized the girl. "Hello, Shizuka. Welcome in London." He shook hands with the young actress and her manager. Then he turned around facing the rest of the crew. "May I introduce Miss White and her manager Miss Frost. As you know, Miss White will play the leading you. I hope you'll guide and show her around. If Miss White has any question I ask you to answer them."

The other men and women looked at the suspicious girl. It was hard for them to believe an unknown newbie should act as the leading actress. They reminded silent and didn't welcome the young actress.

Kyoko shrugged her shoulders and walked away. "Hey, Taylor! Could you show me around the studios? I don't think those lifeless guys over there don't seem too happy about their given task." She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder at the still emotionless group.

Being called lifeless and guys in the same sentence they started to whisper again. "Isn't she a little full of herself? Doesn't this girl have any manners at all? Did you hear, she called him Taylor and not director! And her appearance, impossible!" Those and similar sentences left the mouths of the female staff. On the other side, the males were stating her opinion. "Wow, isn't she just gorgeous? She's allowed to drive that car? Do you know how expensive it is? Her looks are great!"

Director Taylor sighed. "You guys over there. Maybe you didn't realize but she's our leading actress. I hope you warm up to this idea or we could postpone the filming." The director was angry at both of the parties. He hoped that everyone would get along after they put the misunderstandings out of their way. "Well, Aidan and Declan. You two show Shizuka around, will you?"

Both young men nodded. "Hello and welcome. I'm Aidan Moore and this is Declan Walker. You can call us by our first names. Would you please follow us, Ms. White?"

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "You guys! I'm not an old lady, you know? Just call me Shizuka, will you?" She said as she followed them. She looked around and found no big differences in comparison with the LME studios. "Well, the studios are quite big. Would you mind showing me where the canteen or restaurant and the basement parking are?"

Aidan answered. "No. One question: Is that Aston Martin your car? That's a hell of car!" Aidan went down the stairs and soon they were in a crowded area. "This is our canteen. The food is quite acceptable if you're used to it."

"No, the car's not really mine but I'm allowed to use it. But I'm rather curious about the bike." She answered Aidan. Standing between two of the most popular actors of the agency many head turned to look at the punk girl. The onlookers only shrugged and turned back to whatever they were doing before.

"The bike?" Declan asked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?" In the meantime they reached the basement by riding the elevator. Kyoko had to hold back a grin. There on their left side were some parking lots for the important persons working at Atlantic Ent. On the one side of the President's parking lot stood a shiny black Ducati.

"Holy shit! That's a Ducati!" Both men stated. They were shocked to see a bike like that standing at the parking lot. Nobody of them ever rid such a motorbike because it was really dangerous to ride. They didn't know if even the stunt doubles rode such a monster.

Kyoko instead didn't seem very impressed by what she saw. But she grinned from ear to ear. Without wasting any other thoughts at the two men she went a beeline to the bike. There she ran a hand over the seat and surrounded the bike on time. A white envelope was attached to it. Not bothering what her companions would think she ripped it open and read the letter.

_Dear Ms. Shizuka White, _

_I hope you will make good use of the bike. It was one of mine and I assumed you would like it. I have no doubt that you're able to handle it. If not just say my wife – you'll get to know her soon – and I'll find a better substitute for it. I also hope that the Aston Martin hit your taste. Just drive save. You're welcomed at the circuit any time. That's all I have to say for now. I hope to see you soon in person. By the way, the bike's yours completely._

_Greetings, Damian Adams_

Whoever that Damian Adams was he had hit Shizuka's taste perfectly. Kyoko couldn't wait to try out this monster at the circuit. "Okay, guys. I think it's time for the test reading of the script.

Both nodded with awe and together the three of them went to join the test reading of **Bad Luck – Good Luck**.

* * *

_Morgan wasn't a very happy girl. At the age of five her mother left her and her father. Nobody had heard from her ever again. The little girl pulled through primary school without any problems. But in the middle of high school the other kids her own age began mobbing her. She soon began to glide off and god bad marks. That didn't alert her father. All he was doing now was drinking all day. Morgan became a delinquent and got involved with street gangs. She learned how to fight and not long after she joined a gang she was its leader. She was expelled and went to another school. _

_There she had a young teacher named John Ross who knew why she was there and threatened her to tell the director. She became his toy. Because she couldn't socialize with the girls well she had mostly male friends. She again joined the school gang, unbeknownst to her teacher. But with time she began to realize it wasn't everything about street fights and gangs. Her teacher was much of a help. Refined like that she transformed step by step into the lovely and strong girl she once was. Her best friend Simon saw her changing and said to himself it was time to change too. Besides the fact he treasured her as a one-sided love he followed her to the normal life._

* * *

Kyoko would play the role of Morgan. Aidan was given the part of Simon and Declan would play the part of John Ross. There were more actors present whose names Kyoko forgot. The test reading was finished smoothly. Everyone was surprised by Kyoko's talent. This helped a lot to warm the cold atmosphere and the director was expecting some great shoots the next week. The next five days the whole crew had a few days of since they hadn't known the exact arrival of Kyoko's alias.

Meanwhile in the head office of the company Jelly had reunited with her friend. "Laura! It's so good to see you again! I'm really thankful for what you did for me and Kyoko!" Jelly said, hugging her friend tightly. The two women hadn't seen each other for more than ten years but had always stayed in contact.

"Jelly, it's good to have you here again. Don't mention it, friends are there to help. And considering that Kyoko is a great and amazing actress she'll bring more fame and money to Atlantic Ent. I've seen all her dramas and movies and she's really adorable. My husband Damian was amazed by her driving skills. He was actually the one who got her the bike and the car." Laura Adams answered. She herself wanted to have Kyoko under her eye as soon as she saw **Dark Moon**. "Are you really fine, Jelly? I could murder this stupid, dressing up guy for hurting you!" The strong woman grumbled. She and her husband had thought of running this stupid guy over with a racing machine.

"I'm really fine, Laura. Don't let this matter bother you, it's a thing between me and Lory." She answered. The two of them chatted for a while until a tall man in bike gears.

"Sweetheart!" The man stated and kissed Laura without bothering with her visitor. "Hey there, Tiny!" He turned around and faced Jelly. He had given her the nick name due to her tiny height. "How're you? And where's Kyoko?"

Jelly laughed. She was happy to see Damian again. "Hey, big one! I'm fine. And if anyone asks that again I'll kill him. Kyoko should be here in a few minutes. She has a test reading of her script."

"Hell, I can't wait to meet that girl. She had made a good job doing all the stunts in that film. Even a veteran stunt woman couldn't have done any better!" Damian praised the girl.

"Thanks for that, buddy!" A voice said. The three turned their heads to face the door. Framed by the door case stood a punk girl watching the scene in front of her. "The door was open." She explained. "I'm Mogami Kyoko aka Shizuka White. It's nice to have me and thank you for having me." She introduced herself and bowed.

"You're better looking than I thought. Nobody will be able to recognize you with this looks." Both Laura and Damian answered. The two laughed. "Sorry for that." Laura said.

"How do you like your two means of transport?" Damian asked. He would like to hear the opinion of this girl who had shown more skill than some of the men he knew.

"The Aston Martin is great. He's like a cat waiting to jump. I'm not sure of the Ducati though. I haven't ridden it yet but I assume it's a real bitch." Kyoko answered honestly and smirked. As soon as the test reading was finished she had strolled up to the head office. She really couldn't wait to try the motor bike out.

"That's a good description for both of them. By the way, I'm Damian and this is my wife Laura. I have to get back to the circuit I only took a short break. I hope to see you there soon. You won't be able to pull everything out of the bike on the streets." He kissed his wife, pat Kyoko's back and was out of the door. A few minutes later a red Ducati Monster raced down the street.

"That's my man." Laura smiled. "I don't want to be rude but would it matter to you if you have to leave, Kyoko? I haven't seen Jelly for while." The President of Atlantic Ent. stated.

Kyoko slipped back into her role as Shizuka immediately. "No, Boss. Just make sure she gets home save. I'll take the Ducati home. It would be great if you have someone drive the Aston to our home. I'm not quite sure if Jelly would like to ride the bike." Kyoko smirked and left. At the door she waved good bye and a few minutes later a Kyoko dressed in riding gear rode the Ducati down the road.

"She's an amazing girl! To be able to get into any character any time is really impressive. I'm grateful to have her." Laura pointed out.

"Yes, she is. But except one moment you saw Shizuka White and not Kyoko. The only time she showed her true self was where she bowed to you and Damian." Jelly answered.

* * *

The days passed and in the blink of an eye one week had passed. Jelly and Kyoko had bought the house and a company was already installing Aki's cage. Kyoko was now used to drive the Aston Martin at a daily basis and really enjoyed riding the Ducati. The Thorne family was happy to have both women. Especially Sora was happy to have a big sis and Kyoko often helped to babysit and the house chores. Tomorrow would start the filming of **Bad Luck – Good Luck**. Kyoko was very excited.

On the other hand there were two miserable men. Lory and Ren hadn't found any evidence of anything related to Kyoko or Jelly. Even the shipping documents for Aki led to nothing but hot air. In addition Maria hadn't returned home and refused to do so. She said she'd only come home when her Onee-sama was back and Kanae agreed to that. It was punishment for the two morons who drove her best friend away. Rumors of Kyoko's disappearance started to rise. These were mostly false assumptions.

* * *

Hello everyone! The fourth chapter is up. I read the chapter about four times to avoid spelling mistakes. Momentary I really have no energy... Tomorrow I have an exam coming up and I really haven't learned much. I just hope you like this chapter! So please review!

P.S.: I'm only going to update after I have at least one review - what nature doesn't matter... So I knew that my story is read.


	5. New Friends?

**Forever More**

**5. Chapter: **New Friends?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Lory was furious. One week had passed and he had found out nothing. Nothing at all! To ship a tiger to another country, even to another continent should normally left behind a trail to follow. A piece of a cake – usually. Who would think it would be so difficult. He had phoned the company personally and asked about that matter. They answered that only the police was able to ask since this was a case of absolute priority for them and the owner of the tiger. The client pays for discretion. The man was the politeness himself and only told Lory as much that the tiger was shipped due to his owner moving. Lory groaned, he figured out that much himself.

He was running mad in his office. He had phoned his friends but if they knew something but they hadn't told him anything. He talked with his lawyer several times to make sure that there was really no way to post Kyoko as missing. But since she left a letter that she's leaving due to personal reasons was enough for the police to do nothing. It didn't work with Jelly either because Kyoko had included her in the letter. Sebastian hadn't found anything useful too. He had called at the airport at different times but got the same every time: They weren't allowed to give any information. As he was on the edge of going crazy he remembered Jelly's relatives in London. He quickly got the phone and dialed the number. He hoped that someone was at home since the local time in London was eight o'clock.

Thankfully only Aaron was at home that moment. He didn't have big cases at the moment and was stuck at home until the court hearing started in two hours. He went through some documents he would need to defend his client. As a lawyer he knew how important it was to stay hidden and keep things in the dark. He was really surprised when the phone rang. He didn't recognize the number immediately but was on alert as he saw the international area code of Japan. "Hello. Aaron Thorne speaking." He answered the call.

"Ah, hello Aaron. This is Lory Takarada speaking. I hope you're fine?" Lory was really thankful the man picked up the call. The only problem was that he hadn't spoken with his girlfriends' relatives since ages.

"I'm fine, thank you. How're you?" Aaron put on a good face on the matter and decided to play along.

"Thanks for asking but… I'll just say it out for crying sake. I'm miserable! Jelly left me together with one of my best actresses."

Aaron raised an eyebrow. Did this stupid scoundrel realize that late she could be at her relatives' house? "Really? I didn't know. I and Ran haven't heard from Jelly for half a year now. Should I be worried?" Aaron asked innocently. He knew dead well where Kyoko and Jelly were at the moment.

"Don't bother. We're going to find the two of them soon enough." Lory lied. He should have known better than anyone that Jelly wasn't so stupid as to hide at such an obvious place. "Thanks for your help anyway. I'm going to call you as soon as we found her. Sorry for making you worry. Good bye." Lory ended the call. Yet it was another dead end. There were too many for his taste.

Aaron just looked at the receiver. He was grinning evilly. The man had sounded like he was at the edge of dying by his heart being ripped into pieces. He knew how many times Lory had hurt Jelly. "Time for payback", Aaron murmured and smirked. He wasn't going to tell Jelly that her lover had called. He erased the call from the call list. Then he whistled. It was more than enough spare time to get to work but he wanted to celebrate his little victory with a cup of coffee and cookies.

* * *

Ren was loosing his mind on the shoot. Daishi Moe was the poorest actress ever. The rest of the crew was groaning too. They already had one scene retaken an umpteenth time. Fifteen times had the director called "Cut, we're doing it again". Every one on the set was exhausted. Daishi Moe hadn't stopped to cling to Ren. Ren had a hard time to not hurt the woman physically. She was going on everyone's nerves not alone on his to the extent a few stage hands were thinking of murdering her.

"Guys, we'll stop the filming. This does not work worth a damn! You're free for today." The whole crew relaxed immediately. "Daishi-kun, come here!" The director barked. He was extremely unhappy with the woman he thought could pull of the given role better than the ones who had auditioned for it. He now learned that he had made a great mistake to let her act in his movie. He had to admit that she was great in another field but not acting. "You! If you're not able to do your role properly and interact with Tsuruga-san you're going to be replaced!" The director wasn't trying to think about the costs which would emerge by changing the leading actress. "Take a leaf out of Kyoko's book! She only acted for three years up to now but she would be a dozen times better than you! I'm really sorry she had to leave temporary but I would rather have her acting than you! Try to get things right until tomorrow afternoon. If I have to give you only one NG on this scene you're fired. Take that as a warning." He left without any other word.

Daishi Moe was intrigued. He had scolded her in front of the whole staff. What was more important: he had scolded her in front of Ren. She tried not to turn red due to her anger but wasn't able to stop the nasty color reaching her face. She left the set faster than she wanted. She heard the faintly snickers behind her back. She didn't saw Ren's satisfied smirk. She only saw one picture in her head. Kyoko appeared in front of her inner eye and was stabbed by countless imaginary daggers.

Yashiro leaned against one wall and watched the scene in front of him. He smirked as he saw the ugly woman leaving the room. He went to Ren and accompanied him going to the changing room. Left the whole world outside of the changing room he saw his friend's face change.

Ren's façade broke the minute the door of the changing room was closed. He slumped at the chair and put his head in his hands. He was about to cry. He was tired of asking questions about Kyoko. He was fed up with not knowing how she was. "Has the President called?" He asked his manager with a broken voice. Deep down his heart he knew that Kyoko wasn't in danger but it would take a few more days for his head to realize this.

Yashiro shook his head. "No. He wrote me an e-mail Jelly and Kyoko weren't at the place of Jelly's relatives." Yashiro sighed. Only bad news were following his friend. He was gradually worried Ren would do something stupid. But this moment in front of his eyes Ren changed.

Ren was feeling miserable. But he knew he couldn't keep his attitude up without going to suffer from a physical illness. He decided to stop being childish. He straightened up and growled. "When Kyoko shows up again or we find her I'm giving her a good spanking for making me miserable and let me suffer the whole time she's not here." A fire burned in his eyes.

That moment Yashiro hoped they would never find Kyoko or that she'll be so stupid to show up again. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, Yashiro?" Ren asked distracted.

"Nothing, it's time for dinner." He reminded Ren expecting a bored face and a shrug of Ren's shoulders. He was taken back as Ren answered him where he actually wanted to eat dinner.

* * *

Kyoko cursed the morning traffic. She raced down the streets of London recklessly. She broke some traffic rules because there was the slightest possibility to get to the shooting location on time. She wasn't really happy about breaking the rules but in that case the end justified the means. She didn't know the streets of London very well and she ended two times at the wrong places. As she turned around the corner at an enormous speed she could see the cars of Atlantic Ent. which transported the whole equipment. Happily she sped up the Ducati one more time and raced down the street. Some people turned around as they heard a roaring sound coming near quickly. They shook their heads in disbelieve at how reckless the biker was driving. Aidan and Declan were arriving that moment and watched the Motorbike speeding in their direction. They recognized the bike immediately and the small figure riding it.

"Aidan, look! Isn't that Shizuka's bike?" Declan asked staring in disbelieve at the bike came nearer and nearer.

"Yes, it is!" Aidan answered and admired the girl for her guts. Only a few people he knew would have the guts to ride the heavy Ducati as Shizuka did.

The people how heard them talk turned around. They stared frightened as the fragile female biker draw a black circle on the asphalt while she stopped the bike with screeching tires. The young woman got off the bike and secured it on its kickstand. The evil smell of burned rubber lingered in the air as the young woman took off her helmet. She examined the burnt marks she accidently drew on the asphalt oblivious that she was being stared at. Then she turned around ignoring the stares she was getting. "Hey, Taylor! I'm not late, am I?"

She asked the director who tried to find his speech. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before the words finally left his mouth. "No, you're not. You're right on time." He was stunned of Kyoko's talent. He knew that she did all her stunts as Shirogani Haruka herself but seeing a demonstration of her abilities right in front of his eyes left him speechless.

"Shizuka! That was amazing!" Aidan said while starting to applaud. He was envy of her. He had a motor bike but not one as heavy as Shizuka's Ducati but he didn't have the guts to ride as reckless as she did. "Where did you learn that?"

Kyoko smirked. "I was a stunt double. It requires a great amount of skill and stamina." The rest of the crew was startled. A stunt double at that young age was quite unusual. It only showed the skills and the guts of the girl. They knew the girl must have paid a high price for her skills. Injuries of different grades often were the price. Kyoko had paid that price a few times while training and filming the stunts of **Dragonheart**. She had scars but they were nearly invisible and she hid them well. The rest of the crew started to clap. Kyoko bowed her head slightly, smirking.

"Could you teach me how to do that?" Aidan asked but doubted he could ever be able to do it.

"Shouldn't we start with the filming first?" Declan stated. His words were waking up the others and soon they were buzzing around. It was an on location shoot at a school complex. It was a private school and the buildings included primary-, middle- and high school. At the other side of the street there was the college section of the Sakura – Blackwell Academy. It was a Japanese private school cooperating with one of the private schools in London. Therefore they had the Japanese school system meeting the requirements of the United Kingdom. The teachers weren't able to teach this morning since someone let slip that there will be a shooting for a film this day. In the classrooms which had their windows facing the street the pupils were quasi glued to the windows.

They were excited to see Aidan and Declan. After all those two were top actors and mainly the girls were trying to get better glimpses on them. The girls weren't really happy when they saw the arrival of the completely unknown actress. The tough image the actress was displaying bothered them because some of them want to be able to do what she did.

In one of the primary classes the eight year old Sora stared out the window in disbelieve. She wouldn't have ever dreamed that her big would be shooting at her school. "Wow! That's my big sis!" She nearly screamed at top of her lungs. The other kids turned around to stare at her with awe.

"Really? We thought you only had two younger brothers?" Some of them asked. At this age jealousy was mostly packed away in the kid's locker. They only were envy of Sora and would not start mobbing or hurting her for having a newbie actress as sister.

"She's not my real sister! She and her manager moved in to the house across the street from hours. Mom had invited them for dinner as their kitchen wasn't stationary installed until yesterday. We talked a lot and she allowed me to call her big sis!" Sora was so happy that stars appeared in her eyes.

"That's so cool!" Sora's best friend Rachel murmured. "I'm going to ask my brother if I could come over this afternoon. Do you think your mum's okay with it?"

"I think she'll be okay." Sora didn't lose any thoughts on the problems she would cause for those involved. But she was only a child so how could she know that?

Across the street college students looked out of the window. The female students were upset and could only shake their hats at the reckless punk girl who had joined the crew. They were jealous of how well the young actress seemed to get along with their stars. The male students were amazed by the stunt the unknown actress pulled of and started to like the tough bad girl image she had. "Matt, you're racing at the circuit, aren't you? How long do you think it takes to learn that?" A male student asked.

The addressed student turned around. "It'll take two month to smoothly master it at half the speed. There was a tempo limit of thirty miles. Looking at the burnt mark on the asphalt and the speed she rode down the street I assume she was going at least forty-five miles." The others were looking and Matt in disbelieve. "And I can tell you from here that this Ducati isn't original. I'm going to bet half of my allowance that the motor is pimped as the rest of the bike. Considering her body height and weight I would say she's an excellent driver. She wouldn't have been able to do it if she didn't know exactly what she had to do. The injuries if she had made only a tiny mistake the injuries would be terrible."

One of the other students wanted to say something but the door opened and the teacher came in. "I know all of you would rather watch the filming than sitting in class but this is college. You can go and get your autographs at lunch break." And the lessons started.

"Attention please! We're going to film scene 13. It's the first time Morgan and Ross meet each other. And action!"

_Morgan went down the street. It was too early in the morning for her to go to school. Why did she even bother? An empty can lie around and she kicked it violently. Unfortunately it landed on the head of someone. This someone turned around and faced the grumbling girl. "Shouldn't you apologize?" The young man asked? _

_The girl looked up. "No, why? It's not bothering me, so… Anyway, bye." She said and walked past the man. _

"_Maybe you should bother, young girl. You were expelled once, why wouldn't it happen a second time, Morgan Fey?" _

_At his word Morgan spun around. "What the hell do you know about it?" She was angry, really angry. In her eyes burned a fire and she stood there ready to attack the man. "Just go away old man and don't put your nose into things you don't understand." She hissed. She expected the man to do what she said. She didn't believe what happened next. _

"_Aren't we a little too cocky there?" The man asked and the next moment he dragged her along pulling the collar of her blouse. Other passersby couldn't believe their eyes as they saw the two walking by. "School's starting in ten minutes and you're not going to skip! You don't want to turn into a delinquent, do you?" The man said with a bright smile plastered on his face. He dragged her along until they arrived at the school building. "Have a good day, Morgan. Don't you even dare to run off!" _

"_Why do you pervert think I would follow your orders? You dragged me here like I was a little puppy disobeying his master's orders? You're pathetic." She said and walked past him showing him the finger. "Hope to never see you again, asshole!" She snarled and entered the school. _

_John Ross was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. School would be much more fun now he had his toy back. He waited a few minutes and went in after the school bell rang. He only went to the teacher's conference room briefly but got caught and was scolded for being late again. But it couldn't cloud his good mood and he whistled entering the class room. _

"Cut! That's a wrap." The director called. He was amazed at Kyoko's ability to transform into any role. Showing Declan the finger and calling him asshole was an improvisation but it fitted the character. Since she was a method actress her real self wasn't here anymore and Morgan had taken over he can't do anything about it. "Scene twenty and action!"

_School was over. Morgan was the first one leaving the classroom and she was burning with anger. He wouldn't dare to do it. Problem was he had dared. Morgan cursed her new homeroom teacher who was no other than the man who dragged her to school this morning. At lunch break he had ordered her to his office:_

"_So, Morgan. What do you think of our school?" _

"_Shut up, pervert. I definitely know that you're not wanting to chitty-chat about that. Just bring it on!" Sitting on his desk and leaning towards him she answered. As the delinquent she was, she hadn't respected the clothing rules. She indeed wore the school uniform but she hadn't tucked her blouse into her skirt and left the first two buttons unbuttoned. Instead of wearing her neckpiece she wore the necktie of the boys and that was hanging loose since the buttons were open. Her socks were loose and she had changed her shoes to a pair of ankle-high converse one of the shoes green and the other red. _

"_You're right. I called you here to offer you a deal. You'll do some minor tasks for me. It doesn't matter if they're connected to school or not. I on the other side promise you to not tell the director why you changed schools." Ross explained. _

"_And why should I be so stupid to accept that deal, Ross? It wouldn't matter to me if I had to change school once again." Morgan answered. "I don't see anything that would benefit me you know."_

"_Oh no! It would matter to you to have to change school a second time. Due to your father's drinking he has lots of debts. You can't afford to pay higher school fees and hope to pay off your father's debt the same time." _

"_You imbecile! Who on earth gives you the right to research my family's background! You're the ass I thought you were! I would say, leave me alone but you wouldn't do that. I agree but only if you promise you won't spy again, Ross!" She answered teeth-gnashingly. That ass really did an investigation on her and her father. _

_John Ross agreed. "No spying I promise." They shook hands and Morgan left. _

_Lunch break was over as she came back to class. She was hungry since that moron took most of her time. She wasn't precisely friendly person and she got quarrelsome when she was hungry. As she went to her place she decided to change seats. She walked to the back of the class to the seat farthest away from the teacher's desk. "You there. We're going to change seats." She growled her eyes narrowed dangerously. The spoken one hurriedly stood up and went to the front thinking his new class fellow was scary. _

_Simon was sitting next to her. She endured the long hours until they were over and rushed out of the building as soon as the bell rang. Simon thought it would be fun having her in the gang. _

"Cut! You're doing well! Okay. Now, we're going to shoot individual scenes. You're only going to walk in and out the buildings a few times so that we have different scenes of you walking to school and home." The director was happy to be able to work with Kyoko. Her character was so strong that the others were pulled along with her acting. It was a real pleasure to know the film would be a good one.

* * *

When they were finished taking the individual scenes the director called for a lunch break. Kyoko had to get used to the English version of the Japanese Bento-boxes. First she stared at it unhappily but then she took one bite. Her lunch contained of Chips and Fish. Kyoko was used to have a full bento box but she bared with it.

"Shizuka! How's yours?" Aidan asked. Both her co-stars were walking in her direction. They were the only one who joined her for lunch, the other crew stood together in groups.

"It's not that bad…" She said but it was obvious it didn't meet her taste. "The next time we're on an on location shoot I'll research all restaurants in that area." She eyed the piece of breaded fish she was going to eat warily. She couldn't understand how one could eat breaded fish and in addition with vinegar.

"It doesn't hit your taste, does it?" Declan himself eyed his too greasy chips warily. "It's really not the best lunch they came up with. I think they ordered it from the snack bar around the corner." Declan thought he could as well eat it instead of being hungry the next few hours. "Anyway, they're better than nothing."

"There he goes. His logic is a bit screwed, don't you think, Shizuka?" Aidan didn't want to be a step left behind by his older colleague. He was quite fond of his co-star. He really did like her. She wasn't like the other girls he knew. She wasn't friendly and didn't try anything to please the director or try to catch the guys. She had guts and sometimes she would rather be alone than join gatherings, he thought.

"No, Declan has a point there, ya know? I'm used to have lunch and I'll get pretty uncomfortable with an empty stomach. So I'm going to eat something – even as bad as this one – or you wouldn't be able to cope my acting." Kyoko smirked.

"Really?" Both guys looked at her rather surprised. They hadn't expected something like that. But before they could ask any further, they were interrupted by a high pitched and chirping voice.

"Big sis! You were really amazing! I hadn't even dreamed of you filming at our school! That's so amazing! Oh yeah, Shizuka. This is Rachel, my best friend. She's going to come over this afternoon. Are you coming to my place too! Please say yes!" Sora stood there with pleading eyes. She was really excited and she fidgeted nervously.

Kyoko first couldn't believe her eyes and ears. First she had thought she would be discovered but Sora seemed to be a really good actress herself. Kyoko relaxed. "Hello, little sis. This is your school? If I'd known, I would have taken you to school. And maybe I wouldn't have had to drive off limits. I'm going to think about coming over but ya know, we're not completely settled in yet." Next she was left in thoughts and after that she answered the introduction. "Hello Rachel, I'm Shizuka White. Nice to meet you." She said to the girl next to Sora.

"You have a sister?" Aidan asked puzzled. And what was with Shizuka taking her little sister to school? She couldn't have talked about the motorbike, could she?

"No, I don't. She's the daughter of our neighbors across the street. We're getting along pretty well. I simply allowed her to call me big sis." Kyoko answered, glancing over to Aidan. Then she heard Sora shriek. She immediately spun around and saw her hanging in the grasp of a college student. In addition she was in the air above the head of him.

"You! Put her down. Now!" She snarled and moved in the blink of an eye. One second she was standing together with Aidan and Declan, the next second she stood in front of the college student with a murderous look in her eyes. "I'm not joking, ya know?"7

Matt was speechless. This little girl in front of him looked like she was going to attack him any second. She was looking like a tigress defending her cub. He found it amusing and started to laugh.

Kyoko was beginning to make a move on that jerk who had Sora in his hands but was restrained by Declan. "I'm sure he has an explanation. Don't try to beat him, I'm sure the director wouldn't like that much."

Matt looked at the girl and the actor besides her. He had seized her by her upper arm and held her back. His words alarmed Matt. The girl seemed to be somehow different in comparison to other girls. He wanted to test her a little bit longer.

"Would you please put Sora down? I don't want Shizuka to be angry with you. I'm not going to be able to go to Sora's house if you're going to fight with her big sis." Rachel said. Her big brother was underestimating Shizuka. Maybe he hadn't seen her arriving her this morning?

Matt looked down at his younger sister. "What do you mean by that? Sora hasn't got an older sister. I would have known since I stayed over at her house with you several times." Things were getting really complicated know. He really wasn't able to stay on tracks.

Rachel answered first. "Shizuka isn't Sora's real sister. She and her manager moved. They're now living in the house across the street of Sora's. They're neighbors. She and her manager had stayed a few days at Sora's place because the kitchen wasn't installed on time."

Sora nodded confirming the given information. "And she often comes over to help me babysit my little brothers and sometimes she even cooked when my mum and dad come home later than usual." She added.

"And who're you?" Kyoko, Declan and Aidan asked all at the same time. They hadn't found out the relationship between Sora, Rachel and Matt.

Matt sighed. What a mess! "I'm Matt, Rachel's older brother. Pleased to meet you. Of course I know you two", he said in the direction of the two actors, "but I don't know who you are. Your first names Shizuka, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I'm Shizuka White and I'm apparently not so pleased to meet you. But I do hope to get along with you well since our sisters are friends. Only one question: Are you going to be able to take the two girls to Sora's place? I don't want either of them to ride on my Ducati. And since there are two girls I wouldn't be able to take them one way or another." Kyoko asked the young man.

"You're the chick who rides this monster? Sorry that I didn't recognize you immediately. I saw you this morning but only from behind and with your helmet. I have to admit you have guts." Matt was really amazed this time. This little pixie-figured girl had pulled off the stunt this morning. "I'm going to drive the girls. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you more."

"Sure, no problem there. Just join us in the afternoon." Kyoko answered. The young man was at her age, someone she could consider as a friend.

"Shizuka! We're needed on the set!" Aidan said and felt like he was left out of things.

"Yeah, lunch break is over." Declan added, angry at himself and the other four persons ruining his lunch time with Shizuka.

"Crap! I didn't even finish half my meal! Taylor!" She shouted and the director turned around sweating a little more than usual. "I need five more minutes to finish my meal!" She explained and started to eat like a person nearly starved to dead.

The director just shrugged. He knew he couldn't do anything about it. All the other staff and crew members gaped at him. They were shocked by his answer because nobody, not even Declan and Aidan were given longer breaks than anyone.

Matt was surprised too but more by her character than the reaction of the director. This moment the school bell rang. "Sora, Rachel! Hurry back to class. I'm going to pick you up after school!" He said and watched the two girls running back to their classroom. "I have to go too. See you later!" And with this he hurried to his classroom and waved good bye to the young and fascinating actress he just met.

Not even five minutes passed and Kyoko had finished her fish and chips. They hadn't tasted well and were disgusting when you eat them cold and fast. After that the filming continued for three more hours and the conversation at lunch was temporarily forgotten.

* * *

Guys, I'm really sorry for the late update! I was loaded with work – I only could write little parts of the chapter now and then. But I hope you'll like this chapter too. If you think it's a little boring in the second part it's okay. But this part leads to the next chapter I'm already writing on. By the way, it's the longest chapter so far. Please review because I'm going to stick with the part: "I'm only going to update after I have at least one review - what nature doesn't matter... So I knew that my story is read."


	6. What a day!

**Forever More**

**6. Chapter: **What a day!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

School was over and two excited girls waited at the entrance of the college building. Sora and Rachel didn't wait long and after a few minutes Matt arrived. They stood in the entrance talking a few more minutes until he was finally able to break away from the group. "Hello! Sorry I made you wait but we had some urgent matters discussing a project paper." He said while he and the two girls walked to the students' parking lot one block away. There they got on the car and after about twenty minutes they arrived at Sora's house. They chatted erratically and Matt was a good listener. Half an hour they heard the sound of a motorbike and saw Kyoko get off it. Sora went and opened the door.

"I'm back!" She hugged Sora and then went through the living room to the kitchen and put the purchases on the counter. "I'm going to change! These clothes are quite warm…" She went up the stairs. While she was showering and changing Rachel wasn't sure of what to talk with Shizuka later.

"Is she like that every time she comes home?" Rachel asked her best friend. Somehow she couldn't point Shizuka as Sora's sister. Rachel found that Shizuka was a little scary and on top of that weird.

Matt only loitered around on the couch listening half-hearted to the girls' words. He was thinking his very own thoughts and nearly missed Shizuka entering the room. He raised one eyebrow. This girl seemed to look good in everything she wore. The stylish grey track suit made of light cotton showed off her perfectly shaped legs and the matching red tank top put her small breasts and flat stomach in perfect perspective. "You've got a pretty hot figure, Shizuka."

Kyoko turned around and smirked. "I know, but thanks for your compliment anyway. If you want something to drink, just come to the kitchen or ask Sora."

"You're not going to offer me something?" Matt watched Shizuka's reaction. He was a good looking young man and his demeanor was only a little bit cocky to match his looks. In a way which he couldn't tell Shizuka was challenging him.

"Why should I? From what I heard you were here often enough to know where to find the fridge and glasses. Besides I have to do the cooking. You're welcomed to help though." As Kyoko answered her tone turned more and more sarcastic. Ran would be late today and Aaron couldn't cook. His only duty was to collect the twins from daycare.

"And you have quite some attitude too." Matt was offended by her statement. Even if he didn't want to admit it she was right. He pretty well knew the house inside out as he was here over the past eight years countless times.

Kyoko only went to the kitchen. Sora and Rachel had left the room earlier to discuss some urgent girls' matters in Sora's room. Kyoko therefore had no need to mince her words. "You need this attitude in my industry. I just recently joined the acting section of the entertaining business but my demeanor came in quite handy. I have to admit it's a lot easier to survive if you have nerves of steel, ya know?"

Matt heard her voice a little bit muffled since they came out of the kitchen. He wanted to talk with her face to face. Since this wasn't possible he left the couch and leaned his body against the door frame. "So it's not the first time you're standing in the spotlight? And were you really the one who did that stunt this morning?"

Bright laughter filled the kitchen. Kyoko had to put the knife away before she was cutting herself. Then she turned around, leaned her back against the counter and faced Matt. "You saw the stunt? Hell, I didn't know someone besides the crew and the staff saw that!"

Matt wasn't sure what to think of Shizuka. One time she was snappy as a bulldog and the other time she was a warm-hearted girl. "Yeah, there were more students and pupils watching than you think. It was actually a big stunner. Why are you able to pull that off? I don't want to offend you but you're pretty small and…" He went to her and lifted her in the air and put her down again. "…And you're light too."

Kyoko was momentarily stunned as she was lifted in the air by a complete stranger. Then she caught herself and was back in her role as Shizuka. She was glad to be on the floor again after half a minute. "The building alone isn't all. There surely are things a rider only could do with the right build but for a stunt man or woman the most important things are skills and stamina. If you lack one of them you're pretty much dead or really bad hurt."

"You're a stunt woman? No way! How old are you?" Matt was taken back one step. This fragile girl in front of him should be a stunt woman? This wasn't possible! He could see any scars or burnt marks at all.

"Thanks again, but yes, I'm really a stunt woman. I'm actually eighteen and I started training while I was sixteen and a half." Kyoko explained. She wanted to finish cooking fast so she could relax a little she had turned around to the counter again and chopped skillfully the vegetables she needed for roast beef. On the hot plate the potatoes for roast potatoes were cooking. The roast beef sizzled in the pan until it was time for it to roast in the oven. The room was filled with lovely fragrances.

"You're amazing!" Matt said and Kyoko could hear his honesty.

"And you're cocky." Kyoko replied. Then she heard the door bell. "You're not a room decoration, Matt! Get the door I'm stuck with the cooking and the two girls are completely taken in by their problems."

Matt hurried to the door the second Shizuka turned around holding the butcher knife. She looked like she knew how to use it on things other than cooking. He opened the expecting Aaron or Ran or another friend of Sora. But instead he faced a tiny woman packed with bags.

Jelly was waiting in front of the door. They all had agreed on Kyoko and Jelly not using their keys during the day. She knew Kyoko was at home because she had spotted her motorbike. But instead of her a complete stranger opened the door, a boy on top of that.

"Who're you?" Both of them asked at the same time. Before Jelly could say anything the stranger had walked to the living room door leaving the door open. "Shizuka! I think you should come and get it!" He nearly shouted.

"Just let them in whoever it is and don't bother me while I'm cooking unless YOU want to take over! If I'm not happy I'll throw them out anyway!" Kyoko's voice came back from the kitchen. There followed some clattering.

Matt shrugged. "Please come in." He invited the tiny lady and stepped aside. The tiny woman went past him and took of her shoes not bothering to close the door. Matt thought that today wasn't exactly his day and closed the door. The tiny woman had disappeared into the living room where she had dropped all of her bags. She wasn't there and he went to the kitchen.

"Shizuka, may I ask who this is and where do you know him from?" Jelly pointed at the young man while watching Kyoko cook. She had had an awful day and her mood wasn't the brightest. She wanted an explanation why a good looking young man she didn't know was with Kyoko in the house of her sister.

Kyoko turned around the butcher's knife still in her hand. "Sorry, simply forgot you didn't knew each other. Alice this is Matt, Matt this is Alice." She faced the kitchen counter once again now opening the oven and putting the casserole dish with the roast beef into it. She had added the vegetables she had cut earlier and closed the oven. The potatoes weren't done and she let them boil a little more.

"That only answers one part of my question, Shizuka. As your manager I should know of those details." Jelly was on the edge of losing her nerves.

"He's my big brother and I'm Sora's best friend!" A tiny voice said coming from the door while at the same time another voice said:" You're home, Auntie! Do you want tea?"

Jelly turned around in horror to see two little girls standing just outside the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm back. Tea would be grate!" She answered Sora's question with a small voice. She had the feeling she didn't want to know what was going on. Kyoko looked happy, Matt had a stupid smile on his face and two little girls were excited on having visitors.

Kyoko had predicted something like that and had brewed a pot of tea beforehand. "Sora, Rachel. Set the table and tell Matt to get you all the things you can't get from the higher shelves."

Meanwhile Jelly sat in the living room and thought about the recent events. She didn't know if they were good things to happen or bad things. But the fact that they happened was incontrovertible. She sighed and laid her head back. She closed her eyes and the face of Lory appeared in front of her inner eye. "I really do love you but you're too cruel!", she thought. She didn't want to sleep so she stayed awake and drank tea. Kyoko had made cookies the other day and all of them were complimenting her cooking and baking skills. Matt was getting more and more interested in her every passing minute. After tea, Jelly excused herself and went to her room.

"Sora, Rachel? Don't you have homework?" Kyoko asked. She was suspicious of the girls since she came home.

Sora and Rachel grumbled and complained. But Kyoko was heartless and told them to do their homework otherwise they wouldn't get one single cookie until they had finished their task. Both of the girls went to Sora's room and taking their school bags with them.

"You're very talented. You can ride like the devil, can cook and take care of children. I'm curious about your other talents. On top of that you're pretty hot." He said cockily. "It sometimes takes me hours to get Rachel to do her homework." He added.

"You're flattering me, Matt!" Kyoko replied sardonically. "Would you get me the teapot up there?" She pointed at a shelf she couldn't reach.

Unluckily there stood a few different teapots and Matt didn't know which one exactly Shizuka wanted. He solved the problem and lifted her again up in the air. He chuckled as he heard her squeal. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall. Just get your pot and I'll let you down."

Kyoko didn't know how to react. She was in the air and was held at her waist by two strong hands. Then she shrugged her shoulders as for the moment she was Shizuka. She took the teapot she wanted. "Are you going to let me down?"

Matt was putting her down and she wasn't touching the ground as suddenly Aaron stood in the kitchen. "What's smelling so good?" Then he looked up and saw Kyoko in the embrace of Matt. His eyes got as wide as plates. "Hello Matt! Are you enjoying yourself?" He wasn't sure of what to think right know.

"Hello Aaron! Sure I'm enjoying myself. Who wouldn't?" Matt answered and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Oh, yeah. Here you go!"

Shizuka had the floor under her feet again. "Hello Aaron! Hope your day of work went well? Matt was helping me with the teapot. Thanks for ya help!" She said to both of the man in the kitchen. Both eyed the other party warily. "By the way! Matt, as a punishment for earlier you're going to peel the potatoes. Aaron, do me a favor and set up the table. I'm going to make some mash for the cookie monsters."

Matt and Aaron looked at each other puzzled. Both of them haven't seen Shizuka so bossy before. But it was Kyoko's manner concerning food shining through. Within the quarter of an hour dinner was ready, complete with roasted potatoes and the baby's carrot and cereals mash.

"Girls! Dinner is ready!" Kyoko shouted and with the blink of an eye the two girls were sitting at the table. Kyoko had sliced the roast beef and after everyone got his share only one portion was left for Ran. Jelly joined them for dinner and it was really lively. Jelly observed Matt and Kyoko closely. The two of them got along pretty well and Kyoko often laughed. After dinner Matt and Rachel excused themselves. It was late and tomorrow was school to.

"Shizuka, I need your phone number." Matt remembered the girl at her promise to come to the circuit. Rachel stood beside her brother and smiled happily. Throughout dinner she had talked with Kyoko often and she wasn't scared of her anymore. In fact she came to like the big sis of Sora and was happy that Matt also liked her.

"Shit, I nearly forgot. Give me your phone." She said to Matt and switched it open. Swiftly she typed her number and saved it. Then she called it. "I have yours too." She said with a smirk and opened the front door. "I hope you visit us again. The next time we're going to be there." She showed Rachel the house which wasn't finished furnishing.

"Bye! And thanks for the meal!" The siblings said in unison and before they went to their car Matt gave Kyoko a kiss on the cheek. Kyoko closed the door behind her, wondering what that was about and then smiled. Ran would come home late and Aaron put the twins to bed. She decided to go sit in the living room and read through the script.

"What was today's afternoon?" Jelly asked her. She sat on the couch with a cup of hot tea in her hand. She was curious and a little bit angry at her young friend. Jelly felt miserable about leaving her love even if it was for her own good. Kyoko on the contrary seemed not to feel anything about leaving Japan.

"It was nothing. He's nice and a person I could consider as a friend. No more, no less. Why do you ask?" Kyoko answered. She wondered why Jelly asked such question and she was oblivious about what Jelly wanted to imply with her words.

"I was only curious. You're settling in pretty well and fast." Jelly's tone was slightly bitter.

"Are you implying I don't miss anyone since we arrived here?" Hell, she does miss every one! Ren, the President, Maria, Kanae and all the others! "I miss them so much I want to cry! But I don't let it show because when I start crying, I wouldn't be able to stop. I'm just using the material I have to cope with it." She explained sadly. Luckily Aki could join her next week due his quarantine time was then over. The installation of the cage was nearly finished and it would be completed in the next two days.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you!" Jelly was sad that she had hurt her young friend. She really didn't want to and she wouldn't have thought that Kyoko was even feeling worse than her. She hugged her and watched at the clock. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Thank you, Jelly! Sure, what do we have?" With that, she went to the cupboard and looked through the range of DVDs standing on the shelf. A new Disney movie caught her eye. It was called **Tangled** and told a twisted story of Rapunzel. Jelly agreed with her choice and ensconced themselves on the couch. They laughed till they cried. The funny attics and comments were too weird for the girls to not laugh. During the movie Ran came home and joined them after eating her dinner. "You know, I'm going to miss your cooking." She said to Kyoko as the three went upstairs.

"You're welcomed to come over anytime, ya know?" Kyoko answered. "I expect Sora to be at our house countless time. And I don't mind to babysit the twins although they're real brats considering their age." These murmured words left Kyoko's lips before she wished everyone a good night and vanished in her room. Soon after she was sound asleep and dreamed of her and Kanae eating ice cream.

* * *

Ren hated Daishi Moe. He really would like to strangle the woman and no one would have said anything. Half of the movie was filmed and her acting wasn't getting better. Even in the smallest scenes like the one they were filming more she lacked every tiny bit of a character.

"CUT!" The director shouted. He was on the edge of going crazy. Daishi Moe was the worst actress he ever had worked with. "Daishi-san! You should look like your heart is broken and not like the cat who's stolen the cream! You're hurting because you don't know whom of the two men you should pick. This is not going to work if you're fixated on Tsuruga-san. Remember: This is only a movie. So try to at least interpret the script correctly. If you're going to continue acting like this your last movie will be this one. So pull yourself together."

Whispers started to rise. "She's really bad! She's hot tempered and she acts like crap. She bad-mouths anyone who doesn't do what she wants and orders everybody around like she's some sort of queen." Daishi looked around but couldn't verify who was talking cause all watched their guard. "Know what! Recently as she talked with Tsuruga-san she tried to bad-mouth Kyoko-san!" As soon as Daishi heard the name she rushed to her dressing room in the hope she could hide in there. She was really upset and thankfully she stayed there otherwise it would have been bad for the other workers.

"Really? But she's one of the best in this business. The press and the other actors think of her like the female version of Tsuruga-san. I mean, she's always polite and after three years in acting she stayed the same polite girl and even refused to have a manager!"

"That's right." Another person said. "I worked with her at **Dark Moon**! She really was polite but sometimes she was really scary! She could switch Mio on and off. If you pissed her off for real you faced Mio." There was a collective fear lying on all of them and all shivered at the thought of facing Mio.

"Tsuruga-san? Do you know something from Kyoko?" Amamiya Chiori looked shyly at Ren not sure of what to ask or talk about. She was staring in this movie with him and had only a minor role but she was happy to be in it. It had been over a week since Kyoko disappeared. Kanae had told her what happened and she worried about her friend.

Ren looked down on the girl who for one wasn't wearing the bright pink uniform. He shook his head. "No, sadly not." He wasn't able to say more because every time he heard the name it strangulates him. He searched for her in every way he could but there wasn't some single hint. He even went as far as to call his parents. The reunion with them wasn't as happy as I should have been. He thought back.

* * *

The phone rang and rang in the Hizuri household. It seemed as nobody was at home but finally a female voice answered the phone. "Hello! Hizuri residence? What can I do for you?"

Ren gulped. "Hello, Mom." The words finally left his mouth. He wasn't able to speak any more.

"Kuon? Is that really you?" The woman nearly shouted and the voice sounded like she was holding back tears of joy.

"Yes, it's really me!" He was really at a loss of words. He didn't know what to say. He was happy to hear her bright voice which painted a smile on his lips. But the smile didn't reach his eyes in which pain and sadness were written.

"It's so good to hear from you again, my son! I really missed your voice and… I miss you!" Julie said happily. She had her son back at least one part of him.

"I miss you too, mom. But I have something urgent to discuss with dad. Is he home?" Ren asked not sure about her reaction. Maybe she would hang up as soon as she realized that he wanted to talk to his father and not to her.

"He's home. Wait one moment, I'll go get him." Julie was upset about her son not speaking to her but she had heard the urgent undertone in his voice. He wasn't really good to hide it so Julie assumed something bad had happened.

"Kuon! What's up?" The voice of his father came through the phone. Ren was relieved that his mother hadn't thrown a tantrum.

"Hey, dad. You haven't heard something from Kyoko, have you?" His heart hoped for a positive answer while his mind told him not to expect anything.

Kuu frowned. There was something in the air and he couldn't tell what it was. "No, I haven't. Did something happen?" He immediately became worried. He was paced back and forth under the curious eyes of his wife. "Is she okay?"

Ren could hear the worried tone of his father all the way to Japan. He knew exactly what would happen next because he wasn't able to keep Kyoko's disappearance from his parents. "No, yes." He wasn't sure how to answer. "Yes, something happened. Kyoko vanished and we don't know where to. She left behind a letter in which she wrote that she left… due to personal issues. She's together with Jelly." Ren sighed heavily and his heart ached.

It took some time to realize Kuu the spoken words. Then it trickled to his mind. He was left speechless. He looked at Julie and turned around. "You mean…" He quietly began but was nearly shouting the other second. "…she left? And you don't know where to? How stupid can you be, letting your love lady disappear right before your eyes? Are you NUTS?"

Julie only gaped. She knew that her husband was protective of that second son of them but it was too much for her. She really liked Kyoko and watched all of her work and listened to all of what Kuu had to say of her. She was furious. She put the bits and pieces of what she heard together. Personal issues sounded strange especially the short time Ren took to mention it. There had to be something behind it.

"Kuon, what exactly did she write?" Julie had snatched the receiver from Kuu. She was now all ears for her son's answer.

Ren's ears jingled. He didn't believe his father actually shouted at him. He now amended that he thought it was a good idea to phone his parents. He wanted to shout an answer back as he heard the voice of his mother. "There it comes", he thought. His mother had asked the question he wanted to avoid at all costs. "Actually… she wrote that she left… that she left because… of me." He said quietly.

"What could you have done to her? Your personality Ren is a complete gentleman. He couldn't something to scare her away, can he?" Julie was really bewildered by his words. Kuu had told her Ren was a gentleman through and through. "You couldn't have let yourself out?"

"Hell, no! Mum, are you thinking I would be really that stupid?" He was stopped in words as he heard the murmured words of Julie: "You're a man… so what do you actually expect?" He couldn't believe what he had heard but didn't want to extent the discussion of being a man and therefore the related existence or non-existence of intelligence. "If I had known would you really think I would've called?" He soon regretted his words.

"You only phoned to say that? Are you really my son at all? And there goes my love for you!" Julie tragically sobbed but didn't mean it. The mischievous glint in her eyes was only seen by Kuu and he didn't dare to say anything knowing the consequences only too well. "You better apologize and get her back or I'll come to Japan to give you a good spanking personally!" Julie threatened. The only bad thing was she really would do as she said.

"Okay, mom! I'm really seriously sorry for what I said!" Ren nearly winced. His mother was the best to guilt-trip anyone. "You don't have to come, we're going to find her sooner or later." He for himself hoped that it would be sooner rather than later.

Julie had to suppress her giggles. Kuon sounded so much like the little sweet boy he once was. "I hope the best for you otherwise…" She didn't finish her sentence. "Anyway, I love you and wish for you!" Then she handed the receiver back over to Kuu.

"Son, you better fetch my daughter soon or you'll get a good scolding from us. Call us if you got any new information and we're going to keep an eye and ear on things. I'll let you know when there is any information concerning Kyoko. I wish you all the best. Say greetings to the kidnapper. Good bye!" Kuu said and ended the call. He looked at his wife and read the same worries in her eyes he had. "There are going to be troubles. I hope we all are ready for them." He sighed and hugged his wife. He was glad he had such a loving wife and son. Even if Ren didn't want to admit his feelings he turned to them for help.

Julie hugged her husband back. "You'll see it will turn out good in the end."

Ren was puzzled at how the call ended. His mother wouldn't come to Japan and the both wished him luck on finding Kyoko. They didn't even complain that he had only phoned to get information.

* * *

"Tsuruga-san! You're needed on the set, we'll continue filming." Chiori's voice brought Ren back to the present. He didn't know he was lost in thought while he was still talking to her. He inwardly slapped himself that he let this happen. His image was going to be damaged but as he looked in the light brown eyes of the girl he did see understanding in them. He nodded and smiled at her and went to join Daishi Moe. Even her attics and her bad acting could ruin his somehow good mood.

Yashiro had watched the whole time and could only guess what happened. He nodded at Chiori and joined her for fetching something to drink. Both were happy that Ren's mood was no longer cloudy and dark even if it was for some moments.

* * *

Kanae was at home. She wasn't bothering to cook something as she normally went to the small restaurant two blocks away. Today she was joined by Maria as always in the past two weeks. On one side she was happy that Maria was with her, on the other side she would appreciate some time alone in which she could curse the stupid actor for urging Kyoko out of the country.

"Kotonami-san? Is everything alright?" The little girl looked up at the attractive actress. She was worried about her and above all about Kyoko. They hadn't received any information about Kyoko at all. The President would call every evening to check on Maria and update them on the happenings.

"Yeah, I'm alright. It's only that I really miss Kyoko much!" Never in her life would she have admitted that she missed her best friend. She only could tell this to Maria since she wouldn't spill it because she missed Kyoko as much as she did if not more.

"I miss Onee-sama too! I hope she's alright and that she'll come back soon. Grandpa said that they haven't found her yet." Maria was holding back her tears. She had sworn to never cry again while others were present. Kyoko was the exception of her oath.

"I'm sure she'll appear sooner or later. And she'll get the hell for making me worry so much!" Kanae was furious. Kyoko made her life miserable and the lives of all the others who loved her. She came to like Maria during the last days and she really hated Kyoko for leaving the little girl behind.

"You're not going to scold Onee-sama! I'm sure she's as miserable as us!" Maria stated and stood up for Kyoko even if she had hurt her that much.

"I'm certain that she's suffering." Kanae said. But she didn't say all what she thought. She was certain that Kyoko would make the best out of her own sucking situation while the ones left behind in Japan tried to track her down. As Kanae knew Kyoko she would try to settle in wherever she was pretty well and make friends. And that was pretty well the point she was angry about: She was the one and only best friend of Mogami Kyoko! The only day things would change was when the sun would shine in hell!

"Kotonami-san… You're making that scary face again! We're not going to get something to eat if you're frightening the waitress." Maria answered as they went into the restaurant.

"Sorry, Maria-chan. I'll try to compose myself." Kanae really tried heard and they got their dinner. They ate in silence and went home. They were chatting about minor things and soon arrived at Kanae's apartment. There they went to bad after changing and going to the bathroom hoping that the next day would bring better news than the current.

* * *

Hello! First I want to thank all for reviewing my chapters. It really encourages me on going on and I try my best to make the chapters interesting. Here's the next one and I hope that you'll like it. Second: One review and I'll start writing the next chapter if I'm not already writing it. So please review!

Oh yeah, one more thing: Starting now I will do a post script at the end of every chapter answering one of the reviews of the previous chapter. Tell me what you think of this idea.

The P.S. is dedicated to sakurahana123: I hope this fits your ideas ;)


	7. The notsodaily routine

**Forever More**

**7. Chapter: **The not-so-daily routine

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Kanae groaned. It was six o'clock in the morning, time to get up and go to work. Today she had to do some Love Me work since her schedule was not as full as in the last days. She really wasn't happy about that because she had to come by at the President's office. Additionally he was the second person in row she didn't want to see. It really was a pain in the ass! After showering, brushing tooth and hair she was nearly ready to go. While she put on her clothes and make up Maria was getting ready to go to school. Both of them had the same way since Maria was taken to school by Sebastian who picked her up in front of LME every day.

After they arrived at LME Maria immediately hoped into the black Mercedes waiting for her and Kanae entered the building. Her brow twitched as the front desk secretary pointed to her to come to her. "Kotonami-san. The President awaits you in twenty minutes at his office." The secretary said with a stern voice.

Kanae was puzzled. The meeting with the President was arranged for three at the afternoon. She had a photo shoot in one hour. What does he think he is! "The meeting was scheduled for three at the afternoon. Could you please tell him to stick with this time? I have a photo shoot in less than hour. I won't make it in time." She explained her voice cold as ice.

The secretary eyed her and was as adamant as steel. "Your schedule was cleared for today's forenoon. I hope this does not offend you but the President cleared your schedule himself." She said and turned around to greet a group of visitors. "I wish you a good morning, ladies and gentleman. I'm going to give each of you a visitor's pass. While you're waiting for your…"

Kanae didn't listen to the secretary any more as she left the entering area. She walked along the hallways her bad mood clearly shown on her face. Some people of the staff hurriedly moved out of the way. Some of them had experienced attacks of Kyoko's demon and were frightened of her. Due to Kanae being friends with Kyoko she was feared too. She arrived at the LME locker room and went in. She saw that Chiori was already there. "Morning." Kanae grumbled. She hadn't the energy to say more.

"Good morning, Kotonami-san!" Chiori said. She was an early-morning person and nothing could cloud her mood. "I have a new offer for a drama! Sawara-san gave it to me this morning." She was really happy about it because her role as Yumika gave her a whole range of options to take. Since **Box R** was finished half a year ago she had taken some guest appearance offers due there were no offers for a movie or drama. She also had taken some photo shootings for a girls clothing line. "Guess what?"

"That's great!" Kanae said it half-heartedly but didn't let her lack of interest show. "I'm not in the mood to guess so just tell me. You've got some things in common with Kyoko…" This was right. Kyoko would always go wild when she got a new offer.

"Yesterday at the shooting of **Two Men, One Girl **Tsuruga-san had a really bad mood but then he thought about something and then he actually smiled! Do you think it has something to do with Kyoko?" Chiori asked excited.

It took Kanae two seconds to understand what Chiori said. "I'm going to kill him if he had found out something and didn't tell us!" She said fiercely as she changed into the hated bright pink uniform of hers. "I have a meeting with the President in ten minutes and I hope I'm going to get news. I really do not want to see that old man now!" She underlined the last sentence. "Anyway, I'll see sometime later that day." She said and was out of the door.

* * *

Lory was waiting at his office, running a circle into the ground. He was wearing a sheik's outfit today. His mind was running in circles too as he waited for Kanae. He didn't know how to tell her the news and how she would react to it. He stopped and went to his desk and picked up a picture of Jelly. She would new what to do. He sighed heavily as Sebastian announced Kanae's arrival.

Kanae didn't wait for Sebastian's answer and simply walked into the room. She was on bad terms with the President and therefore didn't bother to use correct etiquette. "You cleared my schedule, postponed the later meeting with you and ordered me here like I'm some kind of dog. I better hope it was important."

Lory looked at Kanae and his eyes got wide as plates. He knew she was on bad terms with him but didn't think it was that bad. "You're taking care of my granddaughter since two weeks and you get along with her pretty well. You care for her and help her with her school work. I think this shows that your problems with family love were solved." He said slowly. Kanae was obliviously not getting his point and he continued. "I think it's time for you to graduate from the Love Me section." He dropped the bomb right in front of Kanae.

Kanae first was puzzled but got furious. She was boiling on the inside but controlled her face. She didn't want to show the President how hurt she was by his words. She had sworn with Kyoko that they would graduate no matter what happens. The President knew that but even she didn't think he could actually be cruel. "And what do you want to say by that?"

"Well, you're not going to be in the Love Me and talent section anymore but rather in the action department. You're be given your own manger too." He said suspecting something. As he guessed he heard Kanae's opinion one minute after.

"You're really as idiotic as I thought you are. But I didn't believe you could be cruel too. You know what Kyoko and I said but you're simply ignoring it. Both you and me are knowing that Kyoko should be the first one graduating from the Love Me section. I'm going to tell you something so you better listen!" Kanae angrily stated and was coming closer with every word she said. At the end she stood right in front of the President's desk. The she pointed with one finger on the President's chest. As she spoke she bored her finger into his as if she wanted to make a whole into him. "I AM NOT GOING TO GRADUATE FROM THE LOVE ME SECTION UNTIL KYOKO RETURNED!" Kanae said emphatically. "On the other side I'm not going to say no to the manager though." She withdrew and seated herself.

Lory was shocked. He wouldn't have expected such a strong reaction although he knew Kyoko and Kanae shared a strong bond. He really respected Kanae for her loyalty and it really showed she had solved her biggest love problems. "Okay, you're going to get your manager. I'll set up an appointment for next week. You're allowed to leave."

Kanae smirked and stood. She approached the door the moment it was being opened from the other side. Kanae faced Ren and thought it was partly her lucky day. "You there! I have something to discuss with you!" She said and grabbed his lapel. "President, you're going to get this fellow back and eventually he will still be alive." She dragged Ren with her as her fading words reached the Presidents' ears.

Yashiro stood in the front office dumbfounded and Lory couldn't believe what he witnessed. The both looked at each other and hoped for Ren that Kanae was showing a little bit of mercy for their friend.

* * *

Ren was stunned at how he was being treated. Nobody would ever have the guts to do something like that. "So, what makes you think you could treat Japan's top actor like this?" He sneered angrily.

"Simply because you're the most stupid and nerve-wrecking person in the whole universe. Because you're the person who started the whole mess. Because you're the person I hate most. Because I really do not want to see your moronic visage. Because of all this points." Kanae snarled as she entered the Love Me dressing room and nudged him into the lockers. "Some little bird told me you showed a happy face at yesterdays filming? If you have news from Kyoko you better spill them before I'm going to hit in spaces you don't want to be hit."

Ren was left speechless. What in the hell had he actually done to be treated like that by an actress he didn't even consider as a friend? But he was careful for his own sake. Kanae looked like she would make her words true. "No, I don't have any news about Kyoko and if I'm smiling or not doesn't concern nobody other than me."

"Then you're really a lowlife! Kyoko deserves someone better than you! And here I thought you loved her! Smiling at other women while she isn't here!" Kanae spat out and she was too much in rage to realize what she was saying. She was angry at Ren who drove Kyoko away, who caused all the mess and even dared to insult her while she wasn't even here! Kyoko had told her she had feelings for Ren. The beet red she had turned while saying that words had shown Kanae that her friend really was in love with the tall actor.

The hell this black haired woman knew, Ren thought and was only able to stare at the woman's hurt eyes. He wasn't sure about what to do due she really had hurt him too. By all good means he really wanted to not what he made wrong what got Kyoko to leave. Ren slouched down his shoulders. "You're right at one point – maybe two. I maybe a lowlife but I love her dearly. If there's nothing more to say I'm leaving." Ren only waited two minutes and as Kanae didn't say anything he left. He knew he had to do something about Kanae as she only had needed to vent her anger out on someone. He wasn't down the half of the hallway as he turned around and went back.

Kanae was finally left alone. She breathed heavily and slumped on the floor. The first tears slowly ran down her cheek and soon she was crying. She let out all her anger and frustration of the last two weeks. She cursed Kyoko for leaving behind such a mess, cursed the gods why the let all of that happen and in the end she cursed herself for not being there for her best friend. She stopped after having no tears left to cry. A voice brought her back to reality.

"Kotonami-san. I'm sorry for what happened and I can assure you I really want her back." Ren said standing in the door frame and admitting his feelings the second time to someone. "I really hope we find her soon. But to be able to we need to join forces, don't you agree?" He held out a hand and Kanae took it.

"Alright, we're going to keep peace for now. But I'm going to give you a beating when she's finally back for whatever you did to her." She growled and was pleased as Ren nodded and agreed to that. Both of them left the room due to their work and their slight dislike of each other.

* * *

Unbeknownst of the troubles her disappearance caused Kyoko stood up and hopped down the stairs. "I wish you a pleasant morning!" All the others looked at her with their eyes half closed. Kyoko only shrugged and hopped to the kitchen. She made herself some toast and two eggs sunny side up. She was used to the western breakfast by now. A peace of an apple in her mouth and her toast and eggs on her plate she sat down at the table.

"Big sis? Why are you so happy?" Sora looked at her sis with question marks in her eyes. She was curious and hoped she would be part of her plans. Kyoko comes home late some days due to her work and there were days she didn't even see her. Tomorrow would be the last day she would have breakfast with her big sis. The house was furnished completely.

Kyoko had her mouth full and swallowed it quickly. "I'm going to be at the circuit today. We're going to film some scenes of Morgan racing. Damian will be there and hopefully Matt will be too." She took another bite of her eggs. "Do you want to come to watch with Rachel? I'm sure Laura and Damian would have nothing against it. By the way, Laura will be there too." She eyed Jelly at her words. She had the feeling the older woman had arranged that. The gleam in Jelly's eyes gave her away.

"Mom, dad? Am I allowed to watch?" Ran and Aaron looked worriedly at each other. They didn't want Sora to get too deep into the show business but they didn't want to cut her time with Kyoko. They sighed. "Okay, you're allowed to. But you have to promise us to watch the dangerous scenes only from the distance." Aaron answered and Ran nodded.

"I'm going to make sure the girls stay away from the dangerous scenes." Jelly grinned. She was happy to have her niece around her since she hadn't seen her so little.

"Oh shit! I have to go otherwise I'm going to be late. Jelly, I'll see you later at the shoots!" She hurried out of the door. She nearly fell down, the high ankle boots made it tricky to run. She had a short leather skirt, red tights, an Ed Hardy tank top, her leather jacket and driving gloves. She was outside the door and rushed back in as she realized she had forgotten her handbag and her hat. "BYE!" She shouted and off was the Aston Martin.

Half an hour later the ruby colored Aston Martin Vanquish held with screeching tires in front of Atlantic Ent. The cars of visitors, managers and stars were usually driven into the basement parking lot by one of the younger employees. Kyoko exited the car and threw her car key to one of the waiting boys. "Take good care of the car otherwise I'll roast you over open fire!" She said and the boy nodded scared to death. Kyoko smiled at him and vanished in the building.

Laura and Damian stood in the entrance hall end were talking to Aidan and Declan. The talking was rather formal. Nothing like Kyoko was used to and she decided to loosen it up a little bit. "Hey, buddy!" She called. The group turned around and Damian laughed.

"Shorty! Come here!" Damian laughed. As she stood by them he slapped her on the back and they bumped their fists together and shook hands. "How're ya?"

"I'm fine. You're gonna race with me later, aren't ya?" Kyoko said. It was surprisingly fast for her to get used to being Shizuka. It was a role she really liked and some of Shizuka's characteristics slipped into Kyoko's personality. "Hey there, Laura!" She kissed the older woman an her cheek and smiled. "You're going to watch. Has Alice asked you to come?"

Aidan and Declan were surprised by how easy Shizuka was talking with the head of the company and her husband. They assumed they had known each over for some time. "Morning, Shizuka." They said in unison.

Damian laughed. "That's for sure. Wanna know how fast you're riding. And yeah, Tiny asked us to come. She said You're gonna be a total stunner! I'd like ta see that." She hugged his wife and kissed her openly. "Sweetheart, I have to go now. The engineering team is waiting for me. We have to look over the machines for today's filming. Maybe I'm going to cut the brake line of Shizuka's bike. Just to see what she's going to do." The gleam in his eyes gave him away, he won't dare to do what he just said.

"All right, buddy! See ya around." Kyoko said and the tall man and the small woman bumped their fists together. Afterwards she faced Declan and Aidan. "Are your mouths only decoration? Guys, the Boss isn't going to eat you." Kyoko really laughed at the faces of her three companions.

"You're calling me 'Boss'?" Laura asked shaking with laughter. She had predicted something like that but hadn't even dreamed to be called the 'Boss'.

"Hell, why not? You are the Boss, Laura. You're head of the company so why not? The others don't know you by your first name and I don't like you last name, it's too common. I looked into the phone directory and found too many Adams and stopped counting." She stated and the matter-of-fact tone in her voice finished the discussion.

"Whatever. I'm sorry but I have an appointment in a few minutes. I'll see you all later. Bye!" Laura grinned and walked to the front desk. She didn't wait for an answer because she was nearly going to be late. She waved at them as she stepped into the elevator.

Kyoko waved back and faced her friends. "How much time do we have left till the shooting?" Today they were going to have indoor photo shoots for the promotional posters and magazines.

Aidan looked at his mobile and answered Shizuka. "We do have half an hour left, why? We're not going to be late." He assumed that Shizuka couldn't be late thanks to her fast driving. Maybe she wanted to go through some poses he thought.

"I only want to get some coffee – coffee as black as the night." She grinned and headed to the cafeteria. "Declan, I haven't heard two words coming off your mouth today. Are you sick?" She turned down and walked backwards while talking with Declan.

"No, I'm not sick. I'm only thinking of today's filming later. It's just that I'm not as good as a biker as you are. In fact I only recently learned how to ride a bike." He admitted. He had gotten his driving license for motorbikes only two weeks before. He had seen Shizuka riding and heard of Aidan's skills handling a bike and he felt awkward.

"Really? It shouldn't be a problem though. If you're feeling uneasy they'll double you." Shizuka nodded at Aidan's sentence and wondered why Declan had kept it all to himself. She would have gone riding with him a few times only that he'll get the knack out of it. In some of the scenes he would be her fellow passenger. "Come on, I won't let you fall. At least I'll try not to fall." Kyoko said and grinned from one ear to the other.

"I would appreciate it." Declan's words sounded sarcastic and somehow he was unsure if he could really trust Shizuka. She was scandalizing at her own way and rubbed some persons the wrong way. He thought it was only her character but it seemed to be her attitude to life.

Aidan and Shizuka laughed. It was a warm laughter and it showed Declan they're not going to hold that over him. Meanwhile they had arrived at the cafeteria and stood in line. Many others were waiting for their breakfast or their coffee. As soon as they arrived whispers started. The rumor of an eccentric young newbie had spread around and all of them who heard them were curios about that actress.

Declan and Aidan looked at her and waited for her to react. The whispers were loud enough to understand them and they weren't really pleasant to state it in a friendly way. They were surprised that she only shrugged them off but were soon brought back to reality.

"Don't you think people shouldn't open their mouths if they're only talking shit?" She asked with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Her words were spoken with normal volume and were clearly heard through the nearly silent room. Shocked faces were seen everywhere and the canteen woman had a hard time to hold back her laughter because she knew how show business worked behind the scenes. She liked Shizuka in her own way due to her shown kindness to the staff members who stood not in front of the camera.

"And don't you think you're a little too full of yourself?" A melodic voice asked her coming nearer. "Don't you know proper manners or have your parents not taught you what respect means?" An older and beautiful woman stood in front of Shizuka and faced her with hard eyes.

Shizuka rose on eyebrow and within one second she changed into Mio. "I do know proper manners but I assume you do not. You have not introduced yourself while blaming me in front of every one. I hope you know better than to accuse people you have not ever met in your whole life. Since I am a person who – in a simple and understanding way – does not like people which are talking behind her back I just say it out open if I dislike something." She said with the demeanor of a young, rich and inapproachable heiress. Her grudge demons were buzzing around her and had grasped the neck of the woman in front of her and started to strangle her. The woman was turning blue with every second passed. "Do not insult me ever again or…" She didn't have to say her words out loud. At the last words she was smiling frightening, dark and the same time bright smile Mio wore while facing her mother.

Aidan and Declan were shocked. They didn't know this side of Shizuka and just started to think she might have more layers to discover than they had thought. All the others were frightened to death first of all the actress in front over her. Who was no other than Roxanne Crawford the most famous actress in the United Kingdom.

Roxanne Crawford could only stare at the girl in front of her who frightened the hell out of her. She was in the show business for over twenty years now but she never had faced a girl of Kyoko's caliber. She nodded in agreement and Kyoko's grudge demons released her. She was cold and shivered. For her own sake and that of her career and image she composed herself although it wasn't easy. "I'm sorry for my lack of manners. May I introduce myself? I'm Roxanne Crawford."

"You are forgiven but I am at fault as well. I am Shizuka White, pleased to meet you." With this words Shizuka – or rather Kyoko – came back. The two women shook hands and some of the bystanders thought a miracle would happen. Roxanne Crawford had never, never in her whole career ever excused herself for anything. Yet she was being tamed by an unknown newbie with no manners.

Aidan had watched the interchange and ordered Shizuka's coffee. He also had paid it and as soon as introduction was over Shizuka took her coffee. "Hope to see you again!" She said and left for the studios. Aidan followed her right on foot, he didn't especially like Roxanne. Declan instead stayed and talked with Roxanne since they were friends.

"You can be quite caustic. I didn't even dream of you being able to shut that old hag up." Aidan stated as they arrived at the studio. There were only a few staff members preparing the scene. The director had an appointment and so no actors except them were here. Practically they were alone.

Kyoko answered while searching for a comfortable place to sit. She had discovered an old shelf were usually the props were stored. Now it was empty and easy to climb. She soon was sitting on top and leaning her back against the wall. "Yeah, I can be. I also have a few characteristics which could frighten the hell out of you." She watched Aidan climb the shelf.

"Why is that so? If you don't want to answer then don't." Aidan said as he sat beside Shizuka. He was interested in her and wanted to know her past.

"It's just that I – at one point – discovered it was time to move on." Her voice was sad and she thought of Ren and her friends and nearly started to cry. She missed them so much. "It was time to make something. To make something of my talent and time. I took me lots of courage to do so since I'm not the same person I used to be." Deep down Kyoko thought that she was right. Since she started acting as Shizuka she herself started to change. To change into Shizuka who was a type of girl she admired and wanted to be. But some of her features could never change.

"Wow! I haven't met someone like you before." Aidan answered impressed by her kind altogether. "Hey, do you have other hobbies than to ride motorbikes and drive fast cars?" He ask because he wanted to change the dark mood surrounding Shizuka.

Kyoko grinned. "Yeah, sure. Well you may not expect it but I really like to cook. Besides that the normal things every one does: Shopping, hanging out with friends, watching films…" Kyoko stopped. Then she chuckled. "And I have a pet."

"You have a pet? What's its name?" Aidan asked. He assumed she had a Chihuahua or something other small animal. He nearly fell of the shelf as he heard her answer. "Y-y-y-yo-yo-you… You have a tiger. You really have a tiger? Yeah… and hell freezes over!"

"You don't believe me? Come over some time next week. His cage and the indoor pool should be finished then." Kyoko answered. She watched as the door opened and the director arrived. He looked around and didn't discover Kyoko and Aidan. It was forbidden to sit at places like this.

"Morning, Taylor!" Kyoko's voice reached every single corner of the studio. She grinned as the director looked around the studio but didn't find Kyoko.

"Shizuka! Where are you?" Something hit his head. "I know you're here! I'm not in the mood for playing hide and seek!" He was slightly annoyed by Kyoko but happy. She was able to loosen up the daily routine at the set and created a casual mood. This helped to film the scenes smoothly and since she was in London she hadn't got one NG at all.

Kyoko giggled and this time the director found her. "You up there! Come down immediately! I do not want you to get hurt. And Aidan? I haven't thought you would be as childish as to join her playing pranks!" The director tried to look and sound stern but his grin gave him away. "By the way, how were you even able to climb up with your heels, Shizuka?"

"I'm really sorry, director. But she lured me up here, she wanted to drink her coffee at a silent place." Now he faced the task of climbing back down. He looked skeptical at Shizuka and took the two empty coffee cups and calculated the height they were in. For the easiest way – namely to jump down – it was too high.

Kyoko rolled her eyes and started to climb down without having difficulties which would be caused by her high heels. "Throw down the cups! I'm going to catch them!" She said and immediately the cups fell down. Kyoko caught them and tossed them directly into the dustbin ten meters away.

"Shizuka. What am I going to do with you? You're really a wild young lady." Taylor sighed and stood as frozen as a pillar of salt. He murmured to himself and forgot the world around him. He was only called back to reality as a hand waved in front of his eyes.

"Director? Are you alright? Are you thinking of a way to scold us?" Aidan shook his head at the behavior of the director. Maybe he was sun-struck of the filming yesterday. He looked quizzically at Shizuka but she only shrugged. Thankfully the director came to his senses in a few seconds otherwise Aidan would have called the ambulance.

"Yes, I'm alright. Thanks for your concern. I just had an idea." He himself thought it would be the best idea for the time being. He grinned as a little child and rubbed his hands. The arriving actors were startled for one minute but shrugged it off as Kyoko had done it. "Good morning, everyone! Okay, hope you're all ready because we'll start filming right away. I hope you've not forgotten the on-location shoot in the afternoon. The ones who haven't gone into make-up and dressing should do so." His glance landed on Shizuka and Aidan. "For others the filming will start now!"

Aidan and Shizuka were out of the door in the blink of an eye. The others looked at them surprised but didn't say anything. In the eyes of the others Aidan and Shizuka would make a hot and at the same time sweet couple. Declan sighed. It seemed that he could lay down his hopes concerning the young woman. The age distance of seven years weighed heavy on his shoulders. The filming began and half an hour later Shizuka and Aidan were back. They laughed at some joke and Shizuka turned easily into Morgan as the director told her to get on set. "Action!"

_Simon watched as Morgan stood up and was out of the door the minute the bell rang. He grinned. Today wouldn't be a pleasant lunch break for Morgan since he ordered some guys of the gang to get her down. He stood up too and strolled out of the classroom and down the corridor. He made sure no teacher was watching him and escaped to the staircase leading to the rooftop. He knew that Morgan spent her breaks up there. He opened the door and his eyes got as wide as plate. He hadn't expected what they saw. The five guys he had sent lay on the floor not able to move while Morgan sat at the small roof of the air condition system. "You! Did you send them?" Morgan asked with boredom in her voice. _

_Simon was really shocked and he thought that she would have leastwise some scratches after the fight. But it seemed she was alright and really enjoyed the awkward situation. "Yes, I did. I wanted to test you but you met all my expectations and you're even better. Want to join t gang?" _

_Morgan chuckled. "You're their boss? You really want me to join your little gang? On one condition: I'm going to be your right hand and if all of the gang could keep it a secret I joined." She said now serious. Maybe it would be better for her to obey her 'master's' wish but she pushed this thought away from her mind. _

"_You want to be my right hand? Don't make me laugh! As for the second it's up to you to do what you want anyways." Simon laughed. "Want to fight for it?" He said with a challenging smirk on his lips. _

_Morgan sighed. Then she hoped down from the roof. It was around three meters high and Simon whistled. "As you want." It was Morgan's opening and soon they were fighting. They didn't pay attention to their surroundings and in between the fight the guys who had passed out came back to life. They watched with open mouths the fight in front of them. Simon may have had more strength but he lacked skills. Morgan had less body strength but had more skills and fought with every trick she knew. After maybe a quarter of an hour Simon lay flat on the floor. Morgan stood above him and smirked. "And, am I your right hand or not." She held a hand out and waited for him to seize it. _

"Cut! You were doing well but we're going to film your fight from different spots. Try to fight as the choreography says. I know you're both eager to improvise but please bear with it, okay?" The director was pleased with them. The only problem was that the two actors were experienced when it came to combat and would easily go overboard.

The filming for the fighting nearly lasted for one hour and finally the director gave his okay. "Thirty minutes break!" He called and the actors were happy about that. The staff was really impressed by the performance the two young actors had shown. It seemed Shizuka was in better condition than Aidan since he fell on the nearest chair after taking the scene. Shizuka went and got them water bottles. Some of the staff members got the courage and talked to her. As the break was over the filming continued and soon it was lunch break. The director said the break would be two hours long and all of the staff and crew who was needed at the on-location shoot should meet there later.

* * *

Hello and thanks for reading! First, I'm sorry for the long delay since I for myself said that I'll write two chapters per week. But as loaded with work as I'm now, I'm happy to finish one chapter in seven days. I hope you're going to enjoy this chapter as well. Second, please review! I'm happy about any kind of critique but I want at least one review to upload the next chapter.

The P.S. is dedicated to **clada**: Well, I think about it. But maybe Matt is going to be some kind of overprotective big brother? I don't really know yet ;)


	8. Big News

**Forever More**

**8. Chapter: **Big News

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Aidan stretched as lunch was over. He and Shizuka ate at some small Mexican restaurant which didn't have more than five tables inside and two bar tables outside the door. Declan had chosen to stay with the rest of the crew and would meet them at the circuit. They ate a traditional Mexican dish called 'Puerco Pibil' with roasted slices of polenta and a bean salad with some spicy chili vinegar. "Oh my gosh! This was really delicious but I never had dreamed that my mouth would burn because of some mere vinegar." He took his last sip of lime juice with soda. The young foreign girl who was their waitress came and brought the bill.

"Yeah! It's burning like hell but it was really delicious!" Kyoko took out her purse and paid. The waitress thanked them and wanted to pour two small glasses of Kahlúa but Kyoko shook her head. "Okay, let's get going otherwise we'll be late." She said and took the car keys out of her bag. "Climb in!"

Aidan thought he could become accustomed by being driven around in an Aston Martin. As Shizuka started the engine he glanced at the clock and gulped. They had a little more than fifteen minutes to get to the circuit. "Aren't we going to be late?"

Kyoko smirked and gunned the engine. The smell of burned rubber crept through the open windows into the car. "Nope, we're not going to be late. Please fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride." Kyoko stated with perfect hostess style and then she let the clutch slip. The car shot forwards like a bullet.

Aidan thought he shouldn't have asked her if they were late. He thought they were going to die and he wanted to go on with life. But he kept his mouth shut since he didn't want to scream like a girl. He clenched his teeth together so he didn't bite his tongue at Shizuka supreme risky maneuvers. After the tenth time Shizuka broke the traffic rules he stopped counting and started praying He was pressed into his seat as Shizuka made an one-eighty and stopped with screeching tires. He really thought they were crashing into some wall, truck or another car.

"Hey! Sleeping Beauty! You can open your eyes now!" Kyoko shook her stiff passenger and tried to get him out of the rigor he was in. "Could anyone help me?" She called for help as she herself wasn't able to manhandle the weight of Aidan.

Declan stood beside the already waiting crowd and was getting slightly uneasy. He hadn't thought that Shizuka's driving style could be really that crazy. "It's alright, I'm going to help you!" Then he helped Kyoko to unleash Aidan and steered him out of the car. "Aidan! Hey mate, pull yourself together. The whole crew is present"

"Oh, come on, Aidan! It wasn't that bad." Kyoko complained as Declan held a slightly unconscious Aidan. Finally he opened his eyes as Declan slapped him and he groaned.

"Shizuka, don't do this ever again!" Aidan said through clenched teeth. "I know you're a stunt woman but… There are others out there too!" It was the best if he forgot the whole hellish drive. The pained expression on his face made the others laugh since they didn't hear what he said to Shizuka. Declan was getting slight doubts if it really was a good idea to accept the role. And his thoughts were showing on his face.

Taylor had to suppress his laughter and coughed. "Since we're complete we can start with the filming. Shizuka, I think you should join Mr. Adams, the tall man over there." He assumed that Kyoko hadn't met and was soon proved otherwise.

"Shorty! Come over here! I've got something for you!" Damian shouted with a big grin on his face. The guys of the engineering team had unbelievable looks on their face. This was the girl who Damian had talked about the last few weeks? She was really hot but seemed to not have the skills to drive anything other than a normal car.

"Hey, buddy!" Their fist bump followed and she received acknowledging glances from the other guys as Damian slapped her on her shoulder. Hard and she stood up afterwards. "Okay, I'm going to take your Ducati away." He said and went on as he saw the furrowed brows of Kyoko. "But I'll replace it with another one you'll be getting next week after it came back from the car varnisher." A big grin showed on his face as he thought of the motorbike he had bought and adjusted for her. The airbrush painting would fit her new nickname she got after her encounter with Roxanne Crawford this morning. Laura had told him half an hour afterwards. They named her 'Fire Dragon' after her red hair, the passion and will she put into acting and due to her slight boorishness, her liberal attitude and her proper manners when needed. "Second, this will be the bike you're driving during the filming."

Kyoko examined the shiny black Yamaha XJR 1300. Then she grinned. "This one will do. I think Declan will be relieved since Aidan and his behavior frightened him. I'm going to change." Kyoko went back to Taylor who had starred at the scene with big eyes. "Is everything alright? I didn't know you've met Mr. Adams yet. Go change into the outfit required for the first scenes scheduled for today. Sheila, show her the changing room and help with the make up."

Kyoko nodded and followed Sheila to the mobile dressing room. Inside the changing room she undressed herself and a stigma on her left thigh was seen. Before the make up artist could ask anything Jelly joined them.

"Thank you! I'm taking over from now." She said and shoved the young girl out of the door. "I've got news. I talked with some of mine and Lory's friends and he informed me Lory started to make moves. Lory asked him and nearly threatened him if he knew anything about us. On top of that he hired a private detective to follow possible trails we may left have behind. The detective has started to investigate the shipping company and may have the possibility to get access the freight documents."

"No way! Lory wouldn't be able to track us down! Thankfully I've ordered them to make stops during the shipping at harbors where most of the wild animals are transferred to. He it's time to do some filming." Kyoko said and was finished changing. As the door opened Morgan stood in the frame and startled all males excluding Damian. Her costume for today were biker boots and dark grey tight jeans, a belly top in neon green with a black and dark green spider and flowers print and a grey sleeveless hooded jumper. Her loose thin braids were pulled into a high pony tail and as ever she wore her black driving gloves. As she approached the group waiting for her, her wooden beads made a clicking voice with every step she took.

"Damian, I'm going to try out the bike. I'm not going to overdo it but, hell, I liked to." She stated and snatched her jacket and helmet. After the director nodded and the other were watching her curious she went to the bike. As soon as the engine gunned Kyoko was off. She pulled a wheelie and was off. The crew watched as she sped up the machine and raced the circuit. She took her time and pulled off a show to get to know the bike better. With an evil grin nobody could see since she had on her helmet she sped up the bike a last time and rode a beeline to the waiting crew members. Only at the last minute she hit the brakes and stopped in front of them. "With this baby I'm able to work." And a big grin showed on her face which made all the present persons shiver involuntarily especially Declan.

"Shizuka, I want you to ride some laps with Declan before the main take. Don't go to hard on him." Director Taylor said and sighed as Declan gulped as if he was going to be on the shambles. She did as the director had requested and Declan was sure she wouldn't do anything bad. The director stopped them and said they would begin with the filming. The first three scenes were being filmed at the district surrounding the circuit which suited the district Morgan lived in.

_Morgan looked with raised eyebrows at John Ross. It was late in the evening around ten o'clock in the evening. She had met her teacher in front of a bar near her home where her father was drinking as so often. She had stomped inside the bar and took the purse of her father to take out the housekeeping money and part of her allowance and left the bar while cursing her father. _

"_Now, now! Look what the cat dragged here. If it isn't Morgan Fey." John stated and grinned evilly. He wasn't wearing his suit and therefore Morgan didn't recognize him at first. "What is a high school girl like you doing at a place like this?" He asked. _

_Morgan got angry the second she recognized the man in front of her. Her getup was attracting attention and soon three boys were surrounding herself and her teacher. "Sweetie! Leave that boyfriend of yours and join us. It'll be a lot more fun with us!" They said and smirked evilly. _

_Hearing their words Morgan snapped. You three get lost before I'll do any harm to you. And: I'm not his girlfriend." She said angrily and tried to stare them into the ground. But since those two were drunk the only started to laugh. _

"_You're way too hot for a wimp like him. So we're going to take you with us anyway." They said and grabbed Morgan at her upper arms. What they didn't expect is that she was going to fight back. _

_Before the three could even realize what was going on Morgan broke away and kicked the first between his legs and hit his most sensible spot. While this one sank to his knees Morgan hit the second one with her elbow and the cracking noise of a broken nose was heard. The third one was trying to attack Morgan from behind but she spun around and kicked him during her movement. "Hopefully you guys back off now. It would be much more pain to go on." _

_The three stared at her a frightening expression on their faces. They tried to get back to their feet and stumbled twice. Then they made it and were gone like the wind. _

"_Back to you, Ross. What is a high and mighty teacher like you doing here at the dirty end of town?" She hissed She hated to come at the prostitute mile but it was absolutely not her day if she met her teacher here. _

"_Oh, I was just having some fun with my friends at a bachelor party and then I saw you wandering around here. Shouldn't you be home by now? Maybe I should tell the headmaster what you're doing." He smirked at the pained ant hateful expression Morgan showed._

"_I'll kill you if you do that. By the way – because you'll not stop pestering me about it – I was getting the housekeeping money before my old man can spend it all on drinking." It was really hard to live with her father but she couldn't abandon him completely. That moment she saw some men approaching the two of them. "Shit, we have to get away! Don't ask any questions just follow me!" She grabbed then hand of her teacher and dragged him away in some small alley where she had parked her motorbike. "Hop on, we need to get away. Where's your place?"_

_John was taken aback by Morgan's actions and was really shocked at her words. Before he knew what he did he named his address. As soon as he had the helmet on Morgan started the engine and was off. She raced through the streets and after a few minutes they were at his apartment. "Get off now. I don't want to be seen with you. You'll get real trouble if they know you were with me."_

"_Wow, I assume those guys were not your friends." He only realized he said those words out loud as he saw the darkened mood of her. He was shoved into the hedge surrounding the apartment complex. A black Mercedes held in front of Morgan and a car window was lowered. _

"Cut!" Everyone looked surprised at the director. "Shizuka, the next time try not to kick them too hard, would you? I think one fellow has two broken rips and I called the ambulance." They looked at the pointed person who really had some troubles to breath. Kyoko rushed over to them.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Only a piercing glance from Jelly hindered her to fall into a dogeza. "I thought you were trained to be able to do such roles." She was really concerned about the well-being of the man.

"Sure I was. But I didn't do exactly as said since I didn't assume you've got so much power." He answered with difficulties. He jumped as he heard Shizuka's loud voice calling for the director. And the others present jumped as well

"TAYLOR! Didn't you forget one little detail to all of them?" She really was angry. And the director knew he was in troubles. "Okay, all of you! Cock your ears! For crying out loud I worked as a stunt woman before joining Atlantic Ent. and started to act! Don't forget that! I'm not going to be sorry the next time I hit someone. And Taylor, I hope you better apologize for not telling everyone!"

"I'm really sorry for forgetting to tell you!" The director said. The others were shocked. Normally Taylor didn't apologize for anything. They really thought that Shizuka was a good girl besides her bad sides.

Laura chuckled as she watched the scenes from the shadow. Then she stepped out before Kyoko could do more bashing she already did. "Hello! The filming went on more or less well. I'm going to observe the rest of the filming since it is her first movie."

The others greeted back and went to work again. As Laura was the head of the company they all were tense except Kyoko. She stood there and chatted for a few minutes before she was needed on the set again.

"_Wow, I assume those guys were not your friends." He only realized he said those words out loud as he saw the darkened mood of her. He was shoved into the hedge surrounding the apartment complex. A black Mercedes held in front of Morgan and a car window was lowered. _

"_If it isn't Morgan Fey. Don't you think you should be more polite when you meet me? But you and your mother were never made to be polite." The older man said. He was in his sixties and was wearing designer clothes. _

"_Just back of! I said I don't want to be part of your stupid family and you can't force me into your little mafia group. Just let me live my life!" The fact that she was speaking to a mafia boss didn't impress her since it was her grandfather. But her mother once ran away from him and Morgan didn't want to join him even if he pestered her at least once the week. His problem was he only had one heir. It was better to say heiress. _

"_Who was that on your bike? You hardly ever let someone ride with you." The man said. Maybe there was a way to get her into family but he believed his granddaughter would never come back with him. _

"_No one that matters to you. Just one teacher of my school who wanted to tell my headmaster I was at the prostitute mile that evening. So I wanted to frighten the hell out of him but unfortunately I was disturbed." Morgan really hoped that her grandfather was going to buy it. Otherwise it would be bad for Ross and even if she disliked him she didn't want him to have troubles with the mafia. _

"_Oh well, then I better be going. Have fun!" The face of the man was replaced with the car window. The car started to roll off and was soon out of sight. The moment the car turned around the corner John had escaped the hedge. _

"_Who on earth was that?" In his hair were leaves, his clothes were crumbled and had green stains on them. Now he was really worried. First he had thought Morgan was only a delinquent but this conversation changed his mind. The car looked expensive and normally only people with bad intentions hung out at the prostitute mile and followed young girls on motorbikes through the town. _

_Morgan was shaking but didn't want to let John know so he clenched her fists together and pulled herself together. "Nobody you need to know of. Preferable this person would be dead." She was afraid of facing her teacher so she talked to him showing him her back. "Do mind me sleeping here?" _

"_Why should this person be dead?" The next sentence he wasn't able to answer. His mouth opened and closed and made every goldfish envy him. "Why would you want to sleep at my place?" He asked dumbfounded. _

"_It's simple. I don't want to sleep at home tonight. It's not really pleasant to see your father drunk all day long." Her last words were whispered. "And I certainly had enough of my granddad." _

_John understood her words. If he was to draw the right conclusions the man in the Mercedes was her grandfather. But he didn't know how they were connected. He sighed heavily. "Okay, but don't tell anyone you've been here."_

_Morgan grinned. Victory was on its way and although she felt miserable she was happy. And the evening would be very fun. _

"Cut! That's a wrap. Next we're going to get some racing scenes at the circuit. Let's get going." The scenes at the circuit were spectacular. All of the onlookers watched Shizuka with awe. She could handle the machine really good and pulled of some stunts which were simple but a real eye catcher. Damian nodded, he had found his own personal challenge. The engineering team had to admit Shizuka was the complete opposite of what they had thought she would be. Laura and Jelly only grinned and both women were happy to have Kyoko around. Director Taylor was happy, he couldn't have had a better cast for Morgan Fey than her. And Aidan and Declan were frightened of Shizuka's reckless driving. All in all the day ended happily while in Japan a new day began.

* * *

Ren woke up and sighed. Another day had passed and it was time to go to work. He stood up and went into the bathroom. After his shower he went out of the bath and dressed. The moment he finished Yashiro opened the door. Ren greeted him and got his jacket. After a few minutes out of the door and were on their way

At the entrance hall a large number of servants dressed as the servants at the time of Louis XIV. And Lory himself stood there in all his grace of Louis the XIV and called himself 'le Roi Soleil' – the Sun King.

"Mes chers amis! Comment allez-vous?" Lory asked them and laughed at their puzzled expressions. "By the way, that was French. Guys, we've got to talk. Better we discuss matters at my office so we may not be heard by others. The press became a hind that Kyoko had vanished and isn't just sick." He explained and leaded them to the elevator. The ride up to Lory's office was silent and Ren wondered what the President wanted to say to them.

"Ren, the private detective we hired should be able to track the shipping location down within the next three days. He has infiltrated the firm as a part time worker but he needs two days to crack the code to get access to the freight documents. Maybe we can locate the two girls within three or four days."

"Finally some good news, I went crazy the last few days. Not knowing what happened to Kyoko is…" Ren didn't speak his sentence to the end but Lory knew what Ren wanted to say. Ren nodded his head and went to the door. Both Yashiro and Lory were aware Ren was happy and didn't want to show it openly. But his happiness found an abrupt end as he remembered he would be on scene with Daishi Moe within the next hour an he groaned. At his way to the studio Yashiro caught up with him. What all three men didn't know they would have troubles to locate their love ladies.

* * *

Ren, Lory, Yashiro and Kanae waited impatiently at the Takarada mansion. Three weeks went by since their short talk at Lory's office and all of them were hoping for good news. This evening the private detective came back from his travel he had made in order to track down Aki's shipping route. All of them had done their damnedest to find Kyoko and in Lory's case Jelly too. As Sebastian announced the arrival of the private detective all of them rose from their seats and greeted the man. He was around forty years old and had a stern face. Lory greeted him. "Good evening, Sato-san. I hope you have good news."

Sato nodded and got some papers out of his black leather briefcase. "Good evening to all of you. After I was able to figure out Aki's shipping location I flew to Singapore. There the shipping route came to nothing and I needed two days to realize they had not settled in at the catchment area. I found out Aki was shipped to South Africa and followed on foot. There it took me one week to get clear information of the route. From South Africa he was shipped to France and afterwards to the United Kingdom. I wasn't able to investigate any further since the quarantine laws made it impossible for me to investigate any further. I'm not able to hack the computers of the government there. But I found evidence of transporting of two snow tigers within one week. The driver of the company was only too happy to help me after receiving a few banknotes. Both of them were transported to London. Therefore my suggestion for the girls' current whereabouts is London." After his speech he laid the papers at Lory's desk.

Ren and Lory looked at each other shocked. "London?" Both of them spoke at the same time. They couldn't believe they were so far away. Kanae groaned at the stupidity of her best friend. "MO! What did she think of?" Yashiro nodded affirmative.

"Ren? Isn't a friend of yours having a fashion week for her autumn collection in London? I think it would be time to pull out some stops, don't you think. Kotonami-kun, I think you'll be part of the plan?" Lory wore an evil grin and watched Ren with a gleam in the eyes.

"How should I be part of the plan? And who's this friend you're talking about?" Kanae was really surprised. Of all people she should be the one travelling to London? _YEAH! I won the Jackpot! Hehe, Ren, you've got to stay here and I'm allowed to go and find Kyoko! _Kanae thought and had to hold back. She wanted to dance around the office.

"Oh no, you can't be really thinking…" Ren let his head fall back and groaned.

"Shut the hell up. Either you play along or I don't know when we'll be able to get her back. Kotonami-kun, an old friend of mine and him is going to have a fashion week at London and I think she'll need a model." He rally would want to go to London too and although it won't be a problem for him he didn't know what he did wrong to drive Jelly away. And Ren didn't know either what he did wrong so both men were blasted to stay where they were.

Thankfully Ren finally agreed although he wasn't happy about the overall situation. "Well, I'm going to call her and hope she'll approve of it. " He was sure his mother would be overwhelmed by the idea she would get to know her second child. Difficulties would arise soon.

Yashiro nearly had to remind his costumer and friend he wouldn't be able to go anyways since he had work scheduled for the next two months. And as long as Ren wasn't sure about why Kyoko left he wasn't going to let Ren near his precious lady.

"Okay, since we're all agreeing with the plan we'll meet tomorrow afternoon. Then Ren should have gotten the things to work. I wish you all a good evening. You're dismissed except Sato-san." As Lory made his announcement Ren, Yashiro and Kanae bit him goodbye and left Sato behind with the President. Ren and Yashiro left for their apartments and dropped Kanae off at hers. After Ren dropped Yashiro off he began to prepare himself mentally for the conversation with his parents.

* * *

It was in the early in the morning as the phone rang at a mansion a little outside of Los Angeles. It rang about ten times as finally somebody answered the phone. "If it isn't something really important I'll kill you whoever it is" A groggy and sleepy voice said.

"Morning, dad. I'm really sorry to wake you but you told me to call if I have some news about Kyoko, didn't you?" Ren hoped his father wouldn't kill him the next time they saw each other. It would be a pain in the ass.

"Well, I did, Kuon. I hope she's alright. Have you found her? Hizuri Kuu desperately tried to wake completely and get his brain to work. Hopefully his stupid son knew something or he'll try to strangle him through the phone.

"No, unfortunately we didn't find her. But before you fly over and try to kill me: We got a hint about her whereabouts. The private detective Lory and I appointed assumed Kyoko and Jelly should be at London. Due to the freight documents of Aki and the statement of one of the drivers of the transport company he assumed she should be in London. At least he didn't found any more transport documents at London." Ren explained.

"London you said? Well, your mom is having a fashion week over in London. Is it that you want to talk about?" _How the hell could his second son settle down temporarily at such a place? She didn't know anyone there and everyone could easily take advantage of her! They had to get her home by all means! _Kuu thought and hopefully his wife would play along with them

"Dad, I assume you've finally woken. Could you please get mom?" Ren asked annoyed. His father was really stupid and slow sometimes. Thankfully a few minutes after his mother was on the phone.

"Kuon? I heard you wanted to talk with me about Kyoko? Have you found her? Can we be of help?" Julie asked. She had been fully awake as Kuu had mentioned the name Kyoko and the word whereabouts.

"Hello, mom. We haven't found her yet but the detective assumed she should be in London." He covered his ears awaiting her happy and loud scream. He was right.

Julie couldn't hold back and screamed happily. "Kuon! That's great! I'm heading to London in three days. I'm going to keep my eyes open!"

"Mom, the President had an idea and I think this one isn't as bad as some others he had. He suggested it would be better to have two pairs of eyes looking for Kyoko. He suggested Kanae – Kyoko's best friend – should join you as a model at the fashion week. She would have more time to watch out for Kyoko. I've sent you some photos per email and I think most of your clothes would fit her. Is that okay?" Ren assumed his mother wouldn't say anything against it but at least he had to ask her.

"That's okay. One time the stupid kidnapper isn't as stupid as I thought. Tell that girl I'll meet her at the hotel in three days. I'll book a hotel room for her at my hotel." Julie stated and was happy with the situation. Maybe she got to meet her daughter-in-law, she counted on an engagement between the girl and her son, and she got the substitute model she was searching for at the same time. She would have loved to talk a bit longer but she yawned. "Kuon, dear. It's really early and I'm going to sleep again. I'll email you meeting spot and time for that girl Kanae and her room number. I love you, Kuon!" She ended the call and hugged her husband. "Kuu, we'll find Kyoko eventually but I'm really tired and going to bed."

Kuu accompanied his wife to the master's bedroom and went to sleep for about two hours more. They both were happy they would find their daughter/son eventually.

Ren looked at his mobile puzzled but shrugged his thoughts of. He had to go to sleep badly otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand through the schedule tomorrow – he slept bad since Kyoko left.

* * *

Hello there! As always: Thanks for reading my story! Well, the next chapter is up and I hope you'll like it. Please review! I know I made a leap time but you'll know soon enough why. Ren and Lory finally made visible moves but where will they lead to? Read in the next chapter – as always one review to get the next chapter uploaded

The P.S. is dedicated to **ForeverShiningStar**: I'm sorry I mixed up with the driving issue you mentioned. I'm going to correct it immediately. As for Ren and Aidan… I admit I have played with the idea of making the two an item in some way. Maybe the press will misinterpret their relationship? Wait and see!


	9. Arising troubles

**Forever More**

**9. Chapter:** Arising troubles

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Kanae woke up as the plane touched the ground. She watched as the plane approached the gate entrance. She watched the other passengers get ready and stood up herself. She flew first class and therefore she was allowed to get off the plane earlier than the passengers of the business and economy class. She was the first one to leave the plane since she had only her handbag as her carry-on luggage. She didn't wait too long for her suitcases and soon left the airport. She took the first cab she could get and ordered the driver to take her to the 'Club Quarters St. Paul Hotel'. It took them quite some time to arrive but after one hour and two traffic jams they finally reached the hotel. Kanae paid the driver after receiving her two suitcases and went inside. At the reception desk she checked him and got the key to her room. The lift boy brought the suitcases to her room. It was quite spacious and nearly as big as a suit. It had an entrance area, a sleeping room, a living room and a gorgeous bathroom. A terrace door led to a balcony from where she could see the St. Paul's Cathedral. The only think Kanae didn't have in her room was a kitchen but she wouldn't need it anyway. She looked at her wristwatch and saw she had some time left until her meeting with Mrs. Swan. She searched in her suitcase for a suitable outfit, changed and reapplied her make up. Then she was ready and headed down to the lobby were a beautiful lady was already waiting.

Julie talked with one of the receptionist as the doors of the elevator behind her opened. She turned around an immediately recognized the young woman in front of her. She had memorized the photos of Kotonami Kanae nearly a hundred times in the last days. "Welcome in London, Ms. Kotonami. I'm Juliena Swan but you can call me Julie. Maybe it's better to talk at the lounge while we're talking." She said and hold her hand out for Kanae to shake it.

Kanae was surprised but shook hands with the woman who seemed to be not older than in her late twenties. "It's nice to meet you." She answered and followed Julie. As they were seated Julie ordered some coffee and Kanae some black tea. "So you're the woman the President and Tsuruga-san had talked about." She said more to herself than to the woman in front of her. "Well, could you tell me my schedule for the next few days and how the course of action of the modeling job will be?" She only hoped there would be enough time to search for Kyoko.

"The fashion week lasts for seven days but Swan Designs will only be introducing the autumn collection on three of the seven days. Today's Wednesday and Swan Designs is assigned at the Catwalk on Friday, Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow I want you to try on the clothes and shoes you'll wear. If there is something to adjust I'll have enough time to do so. After the dress fitting and after the shows you'll be free to go wherever you want." Julie explained.

"Well, that's okay with me. I'll have maybe not enough time to search for my friend but maybe I'll find her." She said and sighed. She sipped her tea as a bunch of people went by. She listened to them but didn't find it interesting enough to listen to it. A mistake she didn't know she made.

"I think she'll be the perfect cast. I haven't met her in person yet but I'll be expecting much. The rumors have it." A tall blonde woman said. She was wearing a business suit and a briefcase. The men beside her grinned and a second female voice answered.

"I really like her although she hasn't joined our company long ago. But she already has a nickname. To say it out loud: She's great. I'll set up a meeting for next week on Monday so you can meet her in person." Laura Adams answered. She grinned like the cat which ate the canary. Kyoko would be perfect for the role.

"Wasn't it director Taylor who recommended her? He rarely does such things. I'm in a dither. As the script writer I had an image of the girl in my mind and I hope she'll fit it." The deep voice of the third man was heard.

"Don't worry, she'll be perfect. She's some clever girl and is a game for anything. I mean this girl has some real good jokes!" Damian Adams said an smirked. He thought at today's events at the circuit. She and Matt came to do some racing for fun. With Matt a bunch of college students came to watch him and the young actress they saw in the magazines. Matt and Kyoko were pulling out everything of their machines. In the end Kyoko won since she was going over her limit and drove as recklessly as Damian himself did. The faces the other students made were just great. He wished he had had a camera with him to take photos.

The man who said he was the script writer raised both eyebrows. "She really has to be someone if you like her. You seldom take a serious interest at the actors or actresses in you wife's company. I'm looking forward to meeting her." Meanwhile two cars had arrived and the six people left the lounge and were outside the hotel.

Julie shook her head as she watched the departure of the cars. She had silently drunken her tea as she had listened to the conversation with Kanae. "Showbiz is everywhere to be found. I'm looking forward to seeing your performance to. I hope you'll find your friend in the four days your free. Your flight back is departing on Wednesday next week at noon?"

Kanae snapped out of her thoughts as Julie talked to her again. "Yes. Four days are a short time to find someone in this town. As compared to Tokyo, London is a small town but with over seven million inhabitants not an easy task. To bring it to the point: I'm searching for the needle in the haystack." A heavy sigh followed her words.

"Don't take it too hard. I'm sure you'll find her." Julie reassured the black haired girl in front of her even if she for herself was completely unsure of the outcome of their searching. "I and my photographer are going to eat diner soon. You're welcome if you want to join us." Julie said and rose from her seat.

Kanae rose too and accepted the invitation. "We'll meet here at the lobby in half an hour. There's a small restaurant near the Globe Theatre I knew well. Actually it's more a pub than a restaurant but it serves good food at a fair price. The atmosphere there is just great and I use it from time to time for my photo shoots while I'm here."

Both women bid good bye to each other and agreed to meet here in thirty minutes. They went to their rooms to change.

* * *

Meanwhile at the same town at another district Kyoko came home together with Jelly. They were exhausted by the day but Kyoko insisted to cook and Jelly had agreed happily. In the time Jelly put the groceries on the kitchen counter Kyoko opened the door to Aki's cage. The male snow tiger had waited patiently for his master to arrive. Both girl and tiger were rolling around the floor. Besides Aki being a tiger he was behaving like a normal lap cat. "Hey, big boy! I missed you!" Kyoko chirped and ruffled Aki's ear. The purr of the cat vibrated at Kyoko's chest. "I'm going to get your diner." Aki cocked his ears and something like a grin could be seen on his jaws. Kyoko went outside to a small cooling chamber they had installed the same time as the cage. With a bucked of raw meet she came back and brought it to Aki's feeding place. 'As soon as she gave him his meat she went to the kitchen and started to cook diner.

"Jelly, diner is ready!" Kyoko shouted and Jelly strode down the stairs. Kyoko had tried out Mexican cuisine and it really tasted good and spicy. They ate it with chop sticks as it was their habit to cook Japanese the most times at their house.

"You really can cook, Kyoko." Since they didn't use honorifics at their jobs they stopped to use them completely. "Do you want to go swimming in the later?" Jelly asked Kyoko. She really was thankful to have her. They had lots of fun together as they got to know each other pretty well the last two months.

"Sure. I hope you don't mind if Aki joins us? He'll be mad at me if I don't let him join us." Kyoko said. Aki was behaving angelically and would never do something to the two girls. Within the first he had accepted Jelly slowly and now he would sometimes even play with her.

"No, no problem. Technically we're using his pool so I don't mind. I think it will be a lot of fun. Today while I was at home because I've forgotten some documents I went into his cage and he let me pet him. It was so cute!" This evening it would be the first time she went swimming with the male tiger. She grinned.

"Why are you grinning?" A questioning look showed on Kyoko's face as she watched Jelly's mood change. She needed about one hour to relax from her job as a manager but then she was herself again.

"I just thought of earlier today. Aidan was so cute as he finally had the courage to ask me if you really have a tiger." Jelly didn't hold back her laughter and Aidan's odd face appeared in front of her inner eye. "It was hilarious!"

"It took him over three weeks to get the courage to ask you?" Kyoko started to laugh too. It took them quite some time till they were able to stop laughing. Kyoko breathed heavily and asked Jelly something besides her knowing the answer. "And he didn't believe you after you said yes, didn't he?"

"Well no. It's time to invite him over to make it clear he would have real troubles if he hurts you in any way." Jelly grinned as she said the words and stood up. Kyoko's task was cooking and setting up the table and Jelly's task was to clean the table and wash the dishes – which she momentarily did.

"You're right. By the way, what do think of a barbecue with the film crew, your family, Rachel and Matt? We should invite Laura and Damian over too." Kyoko had thought of the idea for over two weeks now and it sounded fun. She had some modeling gigs besides her filming for **Bad Luck – Good Luck** but nothing more.

"Sounds great! We'll only have to make sure Aki's behaving himself while all those people are here. If there's no other way we'll use the two partitions bars installed at the cage to give him some private place to stay in." Jelly's answer came out of the kitchen. She hadn't told her about the next role offered to Kyoko. She'll tell her while swimming. "Okay, I'm finished. We can go now."

They went to change and approached the pool together with Aki. Aki really loved swimming and jumped inside the water as soon as he saw it. Water splashed around him and wet the two girls. "I assume showering isn't necessary anymore." Jelly grinned and followed Aki who was paddling around the water happily. Kyoko jumped in with a plunge after Jelly and swam ten rounds. Then she grabbed Aki's shoulders and let herself being floated around by him.

"Kyoko? I have to say something to you. Today Laura phoned and said you'd be offered another role. It would be in a drama and you'll have a leading role. It's about an all girls boarding school. It's not a normal school but rather an anarchic school for uncontrollable girls." Jelly stopped and she thought if she should tell the main plot but waited for her to answer on what she already said.

Kyoko let go of Aki and swam to the pool edge were an underwater bench was installed. "Your description sounds interesting. Do you know the main plot? I'm curios to hear it." She said and skidded aside to make some space for Jelly. Before Jelly could approach the free spot Aki used it as a step ladder and lay down on the pool edge.

Jelly sat down at the bench and faced Kyoko. "Okay, I'll tell you. The headmistress is an eccentric woman and is never seen in public and her pupils only see her wearing a Mardi Gras mask. You're the head girl of the school and watch out that nothing starts to run off the course. As the headmistress tells you the school may have to close due to debts you try to rescue the school. You'll get the different cliques of the school to work together with each other and enter the contest for the best school's theater group in the United Kingdom. In the end your school will win and receive the price money which will rescue the school – you've no qualms about doing something illegal for the sake of your school. First and foremost the filming is based on the hardships you'll be facing while rescuing your school. And they included Aki in the script as your pet you're keeping at school." After she finished there was a long pause.

"Well, it really sounds interesting and fun. I'd like to do it." Kyoko smirked. Somehow it would be an antagonist and protagonist role at the same time. This made her excited and a gleam appeared in her eyes.

"Then I'm going to tell Laura you want to do the role. She already set up a meeting with the director and scriptwriter of the drama for Monday noon. But now we've got to go to sleep since director Taylor want to film the sunrise at Trafalgar Square with Morgan thinking about her delinquent actions and if they're really worthy the trouble." Jelly stood up, climbed out of the pool and nearly fell over Aki. "Aki, it's time to get to sleep. In a few days you'll have to work again. Soon you'll be on screen again."

Aki entered his cage and purred a last time as Kyoko ruffled his ears and went to his favorite place to sleep. Kyoko closed the door to his indoor cage and went to sleep. She had a hard time to dry her braids and soon she gave up. She placed a towel above of her pillow and drifted to sleep.

Jelly took a hot shower before going to sleep. Now things were really getting interesting as she pulled out a magazine to tire her eyes. Soon after she started she was deep at sleep.

* * *

The next day arrived too soon and Kyoko groaned as she smashed her alarm clock off. It was half past three am and it was pitch-black outside. She winced as she switched on the lights and stumbled to the bathroom. She was frightened at her mirror image. She looked like a living dead. "Oh shit! I'll need Jelly to help me with this otherwise I'll be utterly doomed." After her shower and daily bath routine she changed into her grey track suit and a baggy white shirt and went up the stairs to wake her friend.

She knocked at the door but soon discovered Jelly had switched off her alarm clock half asleep and continued to sleep on. "Jelly, wake up! It's ten minutes past three am and you should stand up now. Taylor wants us at Trafalgar Square at half past four am and I really need help with my make up." As she didn't get a reaction she switched on the light. Finally Jelly made some moves.

Jelly tried to blink but the light stung in her eyes. "Switch off the lights, Kyoko! 'It's way too early to stand up!" She groaned angrily and hid her head under the pillows. She pulled the blanket over her body.

Kyoko's voice made Jelly wake up. "Jelly, may I remind you that today we're going to shoot one of the key scenes of the film Trafalgar Square and Morgan's realization of 'good and bad'. And it's already three thirty!"

Jelly shot out of the bed and into the bathroom. "Go change into your clothes and I'll come down in a few minutes. Kyoko pulled her braids into a sloppy knot. Then she grabbed some baggy backer jeans in black out of her wardrobe. It was decorated with chains and belt buckles. A wide studded belt held the jeans at its place and showed her bare belly. She wore a grey belly free top with long sleeves and a phoenix print. A tight black hooded zipper jumper with two Chinese dragons printed on it completed her get-up.

Jelly entered the room and scanned Kyoko and her outfit. "Today you chose for you a rather sloppy outfit. It'll make it easier to apply your makeup. I'm going to keep it simple. This would be the best to hide the dark bags under your eyes. I did the same trick to hide mine." After a few minutes Jelly was finished. "You really look good with your new look."

"Jelly, you look pretty yourself." And it was true. She wore classic tight blue jeans with a white t-shirt underneath a sleeveless long shirt printed with a cherry blossom print. "Okay, time to go!" They were pressed for time but they would make it on time. Kyoko slipped into her red pair of trainers and put on a ruby colored scarf made out of cotton and her driving gloves. She went ahead and drove the car out of the garage. Jelly had locked the door and hopped into the car wearing black pumps and a lightweighted trench coat suiting her slim figure perfectly. Since the streets were empty they got to the location pretty fast and arrived even ten minutes ahead of the meeting time. The director and the mobile dressing were already present. Kyoko was shoved to the changing room immediately. Today they were only going to film the scenes where only Kyoko had to be present.

Then she waited for the sunrise and went through the scene with the director several times. And then finally the time had come. "And action."

_Morgan sat at the highest step of the Nelson Column and watched the sun rise. Nobody was disturbing her peace and she was enjoying the silence. As so often she watched the sleeping pigeons and the few ones who strolled around the street. _

"_Why am I who I am? Why did I become a delinquent? I mean, if I look at the past few years what did I achieve in being a delinquent? I hadn't got many friends. The only ones who stood behind me were the ones hiding behind my strength. I hadn't had a single date or one girl as a friend. I got troubles at school, with my father and grandfather and two or three times I even ended up at a police station. Maybe John Ross really hits some points with his crooked logic." She threw breadcrumbs for the pigeons and watched early rising sun as it climbed up the sky further and further. The pigeons were happy about the food and buzzed around the ground. Slowly the town began to wake up and the first people she saw scavengers pacing by. They shooed away the pigeons and examined Morgan. _

"_Well, even they treed me like I'm not a human being. I think I really have to change. Somehow Ross got his points through to me. Screw him! I have to tell Simon I won't stay in the gang anymore but I hope we can be able to keep our friendship clean." Morgan sighed. Now the sun was pretty high up the sky. "Better get going otherwise I'm going to get detention from Ross. I hate that he holds the slave issue over my head! Hell, I really don't like it! But in some crooked way I don't mind it either. I really am stupid, am I not?" With this said out loud she jumped down and jogged to her motorbike which stood at a parking prohibited area. As she put her helmet on she saw the police patrol approaching her. She sped up her bike and was soon out of sight. _

"Cut! As expected from you, you were doing great. You have to change into the other set of clothes and you've earned your coffee. Take some time, for the next scenes we'll need more people wandering around the Square anyway." Director Taylor said and watched Kyoko vanishing into the mobile changing room. He turned around and wanted to congratulate Jelly for her customer and friend but saw the manager fell asleep. He ordered one of the staff members to cover her with a woolen blanket.

Kyoko's mobile rang the second she came into the mobile changing. She was wondering who on earth was calling at six o'clock in the morning. She looked at the caller ID and grinned. "Good Morning, Matt! Why are you calling me at six o'clock in the morning?" She heard Rachel's voice in the background.

"Good Morning. Our college class for architecture is having an excursion at the National Gallery today. Do you want to eat lunch together with me and some of my class colleagues? You're filming on location in the area, aren't you?" Matt asked and yawned. It was six o'clock in the morning for havens sake and some of his class mates had already pestered him about meeting the young newcomer in acting.

"Well, if I have time, yes. Were they a pain in the neck again?" Kyoko grinned and sipped at her coffee. It would be the same like the last time she met his class mates. They would pester her about having her phone number and private information till she would stand up and leave.

"Yes, they have. Could you do me a favor and tell them to leave you alone? Then they won't bother me any more." Matt said as he helped Rachel to dress.

"Hell, yeah! It would be fun to do so! Call me when your excursion is over and I'll see if it is possible for us to meet." Somebody knocked at the dressing rooms door. She ended the call and went to the set again. The filming proceeded really good throughout noon and soon it was midday.

* * *

At a place not so far away Kanae ate brunch with Julie and some of her models. The models had eyed Kanae up first but now they warmed up to the idea to have the Japanese woman joining their little modeling group for the three days. Brunch went by lively and afterwards Julie took Kanae up to her suite to see if she would have to modify some of the dresses. Since the dresses fitted Kanae perfectly Julie only had to choose the dresses Kanae would wear for the shows. "I planned on visiting Trafalgar Square and maybe the National Gallery. Would you like to join me?" Julie asked.

Kanae thought about the idea and agreed. It would be nice to visit some sights while I'm here. Maybe I'll spot Kyoko." She thought and soon the two women were on their way. They took a taxi and arrived at Trafalgar Square a few minutes after. It was around two o'clock pm and many tourists and other passerby filled the place. They took photos of each other in front of the Nelson Column and commented some of the worn outfits. They decided to drink some coffee at the 'National Café'. As they were approaching it Kanae's mobile rang.

"MO! What do you want? I said I'll call you in the evening!" Kanae angrily answered her phone and turned around to face Trafalgar Square. Julie decided to wait politely next to her and therefore neither of the saw what happened behind their backs.

* * *

Kyoko had found the time to meet up with Matt and his classmates and was having a little lunch break together with them. She was now free for the whole afternoon and she wanted to be home early in order to play with Aki and think about the new role offered to her. They were sitting at the 'National Café' since Matt and the others had their afternoon class at the National Gallery too. They chatted and Kyoko had made clear she didn't want to give the guys neither her number nor email address and stated she wouldn't ever meet with them again if they didn't stop bothering Matt. After she made that point clear they had ordered something to drink and to eat. They were chatting easily as Kyoko heard a familiar voice.

"MO! What do you want? I said I'll call you in the evening!" Kyoko recognized the Japanese speaking voice immediately and turned pale as a ghost. She turned around her head and saw Kanae's back. Of all people to eventually meet it was her. A lump formed in her throat and she had troubles to hold back her tears. _Houston, we have a problem, _she thought.

Matt saw the drastic change at Shizuka's face and became worried. "Shizuka, is everything okay?" He asked her and got her full attention.

"Matt, come with me for a second!" Kyoko said and stood up. She went to the terrace corner of the restaurant which was as far away from her best friend as possible. "Nothing is okay. I need to get out of the restaurant without that woman over there noticing me." She pointed at Kanae who was talking fiercely now to whoever was at the other end of the line.

"Why?" Matt asked his friend he considered more as a younger sister than an eventual girlfriend.

"She's a person I'm not too excited to meet." Which was a downright lie because Kyoko would only be too happy to have Kanae back but she was now Shizuka and left all her Japanese roots behind. "Will you pay my part of the order and join me as fast as possible? I know I'm asking you to ditch your afternoon classes but it's really important to me."

Matt was taken aback but nodded. He went back to the table and made an excuse. After five minutes he was back and the two of them jumped over the balustrades of the terrace – much to the surprise of the other costumers – and were soon out of sight.

Meanwhile Kanae ended her call and was burning with anger. Julie had a questioning look in her eyes and so Kanae told her who had called and why. "That was the President and he asked if I have already found Kyoko. How on earth does he expect me to find her in less then twenty-four hours?" She didn't know that her best friend was vanishing right behind her back.

Julie turned around and saw an eye-catching teenage girl standing by a flamboyant heavy motorbike and talking to a young man the same age as her. She only thought about her slim figure and the extravagant get-up. Then she saw the profile of the girls face and realized it could be Kyoko. She started to get nearer to get a better view of the girl but the girl put on a helmet and her companion did the same. The next minute the girl sat on the bike and the guy sat at the backseat. The girl started the engine and soon was out of sight. Julie was annoyed because she wasn't able to see the registration number of the bike.

Kanae ended her call and searched for Julie. She was a few meters away and shook her head. "Julie, are you alright?" She asked the woman as she stood next to her. She didn't know what happened but Julie looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Kanae, maybe I've just seen Kyoko." Julie whispered because she was too shocked to speak normal. She recalled the picture of the girl over and over again and came to the outcome it could really have been Kyoko.

"YOU WHAT? Why didn't you tell me?" Kanae shouted and many heads turned around and watched the two women.

"Don't shout. You were talking to Lory and I didn't recognize her first. Second, I only saw her profile so it could have been some other person as well. Maybe we should discuss this while drinking our coffee." Julie explained. Kanae nodded and they seated themselves at a table.

* * *

Kyoko raced down the streets. This matter could turn into a real fiasco. She had put on her headset and gave Matt her mobile. She had told him to phone her manager Alice Frost as soon as they were out of sight of the black haired Japanese woman.

Jelly heard her phone rang and looked at the caller ID. Seeing that it was Kyoko she excused herself and took the call. "Hello Shizuka. What's the matter?"

"Houston, we have a problem. I've just seen Kanae, Jelly." She said. At the other end of the line the silence was absolute.

* * *

Hello again! The next chapter is up! I know this time the end is a cliff hanger but I'll hope you'll forgive! Please review and I'll start writing the next chapter.

The P.S. is dedicated to **cobalt eyes**: I hope this chapter is up soon enough for you! I hope you'll like it!


	10. Coping with troubles

**Forever More**

**10. Chapter:** Coping with troubles

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Jelly lost her tongue. She was so shocked she couldn't say any word. The silence in the room was absolute. The other people in the room watched her skeptically. "Shizuka, wait one moment. I'll call you back in a few minutes." She answered and ended the call. "You've my apologies! I'm really sorry but we have to delay our meeting. An urgent problem has emerged. We'll set up a new appointment. I wish you a pleasant day." Before any of those present could say anything and was out of the door. She took her mobile and sent a message to Kyoko. _Meet me at the house, Jelly _it said and she was out of the building. She jumped into the first cab she could get and hoped it wouldn't take too long to arrive at home. How could such a mess even happen? She sighed and closed her eyes. Hopefully it would be straightened out fast.

Matt read the message and told it Shizuka although it was pretty difficult since she was driving. But she nodded and gave him a thumbs up. She took the fastest route home and they arrived at the drop of a hat. She stopped the bike abrupt and hopped down. She raced up the stairs, turned the key at the lock and was inside the house as soon as the door was unlocked.

Matt followed her and became pretty anxious. He couldn't think of anything that could ruffle Shizuka. Therefore he followed suit and found her leaning at the kitchen counter. The water was running freely out of the faucet and Shizuka held her head under it. Her body shook treacherous and he could hear her muffled sobs. He walked up to her back, hugged her and held her tight. "Calm down, sweetie! Tell big bro what's up?"

Kyoko didn't know what happened and was nearly on the edge of a breakdown. The icy water helped her to cool down and get a clear head. She didn't even realize she cried until she felt Matt's arms around her. She started to cry really hard and held on Matt for a few minutes till she had no more tears left. She released him and turned around again. She washed her face and began to make tea. "I'm really sorry for earlier. I didn't want you to see me in a state like that."

Matt only shrugged his shoulders. "You don't need to apologize. It's only normal to be down sometimes. It shows at least that you're a human like all of us." While he answered he took out the Japanese tea cups Kyoko bought some time ago. He surveyed the pattern painted on it and grinned as he saw the two different Chinese dragons on each of the cups. "I'll wait at the living room. You go and clean yourself up. Otherwise Alice would think I did something to you."

Kyoko nodded and rushed to the bathroom. Thankfully she wasn't shocked as she saw her mirror image. Water was running down her face, neck and braids. About her braids she couldn't do anything but she wiped off the water drops of her face and refreshed her make-up so Jelly wouldn't notice she cried. As she came back from the bathroom Matt had already made the tea and poured some of it into the cups. "Thanks, Matt. Could we keep the little scene at the kitchen between us two? I don't want Alice to know."

"Sure, no problem. I'm not going to ask you what's wrong. But if you feel like talking I'll lend you my ears." He said with a cocky grin on his face.

"Stop it already, would you? I'm considering you as anything other than a brother!" Kyoko replayed with laughter trembling in her voice. She slapped him lightly on his shoulder. "You're a real charmer, you know? Why don't you have a girlfriend already?"

Matt smirked and the pouted. "Because I'm waiting for you?" He said jokingly and both of them were rolling with laughter and had temporary forgotten what troubles Kyoko had. But as if to remind them of them the door burst open and Jelly rushed to the living room.

First she couldn't believe her eyes as she saw Matt and Kyoko laughing like nothing ever happened. "Good for you, but what are you laughing about. Shizuka, I thought it was an emergency." She crossed her arms and stared angrily at the two of them. They were behaving like little kids while a grand catastrophe was forming behind their backs. But she had to admit that Kyoko changed her attitude immediately and Matt did the same. "Care to explain what happened?"

Kyoko nodded. "As the shooting ended at midday you were already at your meeting. Therefore I joined Matt and some of his class mates for lunch. I made clear none of them gets neither private information of me nor my email or phone number. They were pretty much a pain in the ass before and continued to pester Matt about every little detail. But coming straight to the main point: As we waited for our drinks and food to arrive I suddenly heart the voice of Moko-san. In additional she was speaking Japanese and I recognized her right then. I turned around to make sure it was really her – I know it was a mistake – and thankfully she had her back turned towards me. I stood up and asked Matt to help me get out of there. We left the restaurant jumping over the balustrades since my bike stood near it. By the way, a beautiful woman was with her. While Moko-san was talking she came to notice me due to my get-up but I put on my helmet as soon as possible. Matt did the same and we left right after. The woman watched us leave. I thankfully remembered to leave at some way she wouldn't see the registration number of the bike." She finished her monologue and waited for the scolding but it seemed that Jelly had no intention of doing so.

Matt agreed with this version and added something. "Before we left Shizuka put on her headset so she was able to talk with you over the phone."

Jelly was deep in thought and only nodded. She was running circles. "That's indeed an emergency. Do you know how she could found out about our whereabouts?" She asked and didn't await an answer so she was surprised as Kyoko answered.

"I don't actually know but I know two guys who might have been persistent on Aki's shipping route. I told the ocean company to smug the traces. If the hired a private detective it would be someone as efficient as a bloodhound." Kyoko suggested and hoped what she just said would only be a suggestion.

Jelly went on running circles into the ground till Matt handed her a third mug with tea. She didn't question why he was here at the first place but it didn't matter to her either. They could talk openly without slipping a name or anything else. "That's just something these two would do. I'll have to call Laura and let her investigate who she was with. You said it was a beautiful woman around her late forties or early fifties? I may know her." And if it was really the person she thought it would be it would be quite problematic. "But are you sure Kanae or the other woman haven't recognized you?"

Kyoko shook her had negotiating Jelly's question. "Moko-san didn't even saw me and the other one saw me for – what was it – about two minutes and it was only my profile. Even if she thought it would be Moko-san wouldn't believe the woman. My get-up doesn't fit my old me."

"That's for sure. Maybe there's some hope. Matt, we may need your help later on. I'm sorry we cause you troubles but it's really an emergency. Kyoko, I'm going to call Laura. Make us something to eat so we could proceed with our battle plan after informing Laura." Jelly said and took out her phone. She quick dialed a number and went to the room she used as an office. Kyoko and Matt wandered into the kitchen were Kyoko started to make something too eat. Knowing Jelly would be on the phone over half an hour for sure she cooked some light Japanese dishes. Matt watched her with awe and helped her if requested. It took Jelly less than half an hour to end the call and came back to the kitchen.

"Need some help?" She asked Kyoko but was shoved out of the kitchen. Why? Kyoko had discovered Jelly's cooking skills were nearly as bad as Ren's been and was banned from the kitchen. There were three things she was allowed to do: making tea, making her a sandwich or taking something out the fridge and getting the plates to set up the table.

"No, I don't want to clean the kitchen again for hours." Kyoko answered sarcastically and continued to stir in the pot. The rice was already in a bowl and the curry was ready too. "Guys, the meal is ready." They ate in silence and after they finished they drank another cup of tea. The comfortable silence was disturbed by Jelly's ringtone. She stood hastily and nearly knocked over her chair.

"Alice Frost speaking." She answered without even looking at the caller ID.

"Jelly, haven't you looked at the caller ID?" Laura asked amused and chuckled. "As you asked me, I've done some research and sent someone to investigate at the airport. Do you want to know what I've found out?"

"Laura, that's unfair. Put me out of my misery, will you?" Jelly answered and sighed. "It's not exactly the time for jokes."

"I know, so I'll tell you what I've got. Kanae Kotonami arrived at London yesterday afternoon. She took a cab to the 'Club Quarter's St. Paul Hotel.' After she checked in she first went to stuff away her things. The concierge told us she met up with a woman who had checked in at yesterdays afternoon. She checked in under the name Juliela Hizuri. She's a designer and she booked three other rooms under the name 'Swan Designs'. I bet you know her." Laura revealed the first part of the information she dug out.

Jelly gasped for air. Ren's mother was with Kanae? Somehow it sounded fishy but maybe it was only a coincidence. "Do you have anything more?" It was a good thing Kyoko had started to wash the dishes otherwise she would have seen Jelly's worried expression.

"Yes, I have." Laura said and went on. "As you already know there's the fashion week going on. I have told you about it, remember? Swan Designs is here to show off their designs. It seems they were one model short and Mrs. Hizuri was desperately searching for a substitute model. That's were Ms. Kotonami joined the plot. She's going to be the substitute model for Swan Designs. They're going to present their clothes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday." She looked at the paper in front of her if she had forgotten anything. "Mrs. Hizuri would fly back on Monday afternoon and Ms. Kotonami's flight back is booked for the next Wednesday at noon."

Jelly sighed relieved. The situation is going to be a lot easier to handle. "It may be a coincidence but I won't take any risks. Somehow I got the fishy feeling Lory has something to do with it."

Laura nodded although Jelly couldn't see it. "I thought so too and changed Kyoko's schedule for you. Her shoots only will be taken at the studio the next three days. I gave her off from Monday till Friday and I hope you'll tell her to stay at home. Otherwise there's the risk of getting discovered. I've hired someone to spy on them to make hundred percent sure they're not getting near to Kyoko. By the way, I cancelled the meeting with the guys of **Scarlet Rose High – The slightly different school**. I'll set up a new appointment today."

"You're great, Laura! Thanks for your help!" Jelly said and grinned for the first time that day. Kyoko shot questioning looks at her but she shook her head. "Bye, Laura and thanks!" She ended the call. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Kanae's only here due to her job as a substitute model. We're going to discuss our battle plan."

Kyoko was relieved and sad at the same time. Matt laid a hand around her shoulder as they sat at the couch again. He didn't know why he was still here but played along since Alice said they might need his help.

"Laura said that you're only going to film at the studios the next three days. I suggest you'll drive the Aston Martin but make sure you're wearing a hat and sunglasses and park the car directly at the basement parking lot. Therefore you don't need to walk in the open. You'll drive back home directly after the filming and don't do any grocery shopping. Write me a list and I'll go shopping for you." Jelly explained and looked at the serious face of Kyoko as she nodded in agreement. "You'll have three days off starting on Monday next week. But I beg you to stay home since Kanae's flight will be departing on Wednesday noon next week. That's all for now." She drank a cup of the tea which was by now cold and refilled her cup.

"That's fine with me. I hope I didn't cause anyone too much trouble." She said sheepishly and watched the amused faces of Matt and Jelly.

"Matt, maybe you're so kind and keep her some company. I'll be working at her free days even at afternoon." Jelly's soft voice was now directed to Matt.

Matt only nodded and said that it would be fun and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.

* * *

Kanae and Julie had drunk their coffees and had asked the waitress if she might know the girl who had left minutes before. The waitress denied she didn't know and that she was sorry. She only could them the girl ordered something together with a bunch of college boys. She pointed at the table only to see it was already empty. She excused herself and went to work again. The two women were too shocked about their lost chance and drank their coffee in silence. They paid and took a taxi back to the hotel and were now discussing the happenings at Julie's rooms.

"Are you sure it might have been Kyoko and not some other? Tell me what she looked liked – what she was wearing and the bike she was driving – such things." Kanae asked Julie and hoped the description would fit Kyoko.

Julie tried to remember and had the image right in front of her eyes. "Instead of telling you I'm going to sketch what she was wearing." As she answered Kanae she pulled out some sheets of paper and an etui with colored pencils of her bag she always had with her. As a designer she didn't know when the inspiration actually would visit her. With a few brief strokes she had sketched what Kyoko had worn this morning: the black baggy skater jeans with its decorations and the studded belt, the grey belly free top with colorful print, the black hooded zipper with some red and orange print Julie wasn't able to recognize due to the distance. "That was it. She put on a leather jacket and a helmet before driving away. The bike she rode was at any rate a bike you could be racing at a circuit. It was varnished in a shining black with some airbrush paintings on it. It could have been Chinese dragons or snakes entangling each other."

Kanae raised one eyebrow. That didn't sound like Kyoko at all. It was way too flashy for Kyoko. "That wasn't Kyoko. It was way too eye-catching for her. She would be embarrassed wearing a belly free top no matter what happens." Kanae said.

Julie sighed. So she was wrong but she could swear the girl had resemblances with Kyoko. "Oh, I forgot something. She had cornrows – the thin braids directly braided along the scalp – up to the middle of her head. The rest of her hairs were braided in thin braids too falling down to her waist. It was dyed in different shades of red."

"I can't believe it was Kyoko. She wouldn't ever appear dressed like that out in the open. What could we do now? I'm not going to post profiles all over London." Kanae sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. What has her best friend thought running away not leaving behind any evidence where she could be at all? Anyway, maybe it would be the best to stroll around through London's street aimlessly at her free days to eventually spot her.

"Wasn't Aki with her? Maybe we should ask at the quarantine station. Maybe they'll tell us something." Kanae agreed with Julie's proposal and both headed off to the government department with little hope to get any information.

* * *

In Japan Lory was dealing with a very furious Amamiya Chiori. The girl stood in his office and was throwing a tantrum. He hadn't allowed her to join Kanae going to London and searching for Kyoko but that wasn't the problem. The main point was that no one had told her about the new development and he couldn't say she had no point there. In additional he had offered her Kyoko's dream role: a fairy princess.

"Do you know how unfair it is to offer me this role? You could have offered it to her when she was still here! I know you wanted her to make a debut in a movie overloaded with romance but didn't you consider her feelings even? She would be disappointed if I'm going to accept that offer!" She had placed her hands on his desk and looked him straight into the eye. It doesn't matter that she hadn't joined LME but was with Softhat. Somehow she would make a perfect addition to his most beloved Love Me duo. Maybe he should talk about that to the president of Softhat.

"Yeah, I know it's unfair and to say it simply, I just have forgotten about the offer since the whole tragedy happened only two days after I got the request. It would be a waist to not accept it. I'm sure Kyoko wouldn't be mad at you – only at me." Lory cringed. He had heard of Kyoko's mysterious power when she got malice and was frightened about it experiencing somewhat later. "I would take the offer. It would be your first lead as an actress since your childhood. I know you have to discuss it with your president first and I've send a request." He answered with a stern look on his face.

"I forgot, I have to give you something from the president." She pulled the letter out of one pockets of her outrageous pink uniform. "He said you should read it as soon as you got it. I'm taking my leave then and I'll think about your offer." With this, she turned around and let a surprised Lory behind.

Lory had thought Amamiya-kun would go on torturing him with her points of view so he could only gap as she left the room only giving him this letter. He wanted to open it but that moment the door opened again and said that Ren was waiting outside. He asked himself since when he turned into a mailbox for complaints. "Let him in."

The secretary nodded and soon after Ren leaned at his desk. "Did you hear anything of Kanae?" He asked and was eager for news.

Lory shook his head. "She decried me as I phoned her pointing out she would phone me later. I just wanted to make sure she landed save – she didn't write me a single mail stating she was fine. Why are all of the Love Me members so difficult to handle? I talked to her one hour ago." A sigh left his mouth. "Is it that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes. By the way, it's evening. When do you think she'll phone you? At midnight?" Ren answered sarcastically. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw it was time to leave already. He only went to see the President in his short break. "Well, anyways I have to be back at the shooting location in fifteen minutes. I wish you a good evening. Call me if you have gotten news." As soon as he came he left.

Lory groaned. "Jelly! I'm going to become insane without you! It seems that some of my employees are having fun toying with me." His phone rang and he looked at the number and groaned again. "What do you want, Kuu?" He took the call. Assuming the call would take up quite some time he told his secretary to go home – office time would be over soon anyway.

* * *

Kanae and Julie came home quite exhausted. The British officers were much fussier than the American ones. Kanae had suspected they won't get any news at all but they had wasted their entire afternoon on discussions with the officers if they wouldn't tell them anything. They only went to dinner afterwards and decided to go to sleep right after dinner. The Catwalk was expecting them in a few hours and they didn't want to arrive there with dark circles under their eyes. Kanae didn't even take the energy to call the President and only sent him a short mail.

* * *

The same time Kyoko, Jelly and Matt fell into their beds. Kyoko had insisted on Matt staying and so he did. He decided to sleep at the guestroom. The three of them had spent the afternoon having fun and went swimming later to relax a little. They even played with Aki who finally tolerated Matt at Kyoko's side. Somehow the big tiger had felt Matt was like a brother to Kyoko and accepted the fact. All off them thought about what

Matt laid at his bed and thought about the events. Somehow he had a feeling this woman they had spoken about was someone Shizuka new from the past. He couldn't lay a finger on it but he was sure something had happened in Shizuka's past. He heard a door close and sneaky footsteps at the corridor. Curious who it might be he opened the door and followed the person silently. He was surprised to see it was Shizuka who went out to the front garden and climbed a tree. Suggesting she wanted some time alone he let her alone although he bothered what she wanted up there in the tree. He shrugged his shoulders and went to bed.

Kyoko watched the stars sitting at a branch fork at the highest point of the treetop. "Moko-san, I thought you came here to search for me. Maybe it's better this way than other way round. I'd really like to see you but I can't. It would only hurt me. I hope you're doing well." She said her thoughts out loud and many others followed. Finally after two hours of thinking and watching the stars she climbed down again frightening the neighbor's cat as she did so. She laid awake for half an hour before finally being able to fall asleep. Her next six days went by fast. She only attended the shootings and drove home right after. Nothing spectacular happened and she was slightly bored. Her three days off she spent at home and decided to clean Aki's cage which took up almost all of the three days since she played with Aki a lot whilst cleaning. On Wednesday she had Matt delivering a letter to a certain hotel.

* * *

The next three days were busy for Kanae and Julie. If the weren't at the fashion week they only drink, ate and went to sleep. After the chaos was over Julie and Kanae spent one day together till Julie had to leave and Kanae had only two days left to find Kyoko. She wandered around the streets aimlessly and talked to some people but neither of them recognized the photo of the young girl although her face was printed in every star magazine or seen at the movie trailer showed at the cinemas. Kanae didn't bother to buy such magazines since Jelly wouldn't be so dump and let Kyoko join some agency and let her go into acting. But she guessed wrong. Kyoko was right in front of her nose and didn't realize it. She gave up after two days since it was finally the time to pack her things again. The flight for her was booked for ten o'clock at noon and she didn't want to get up early just to pack her suitcases. She even had had to buy a third back due to the clothes Julie had given her. She took out the phone of her handbag and made the unavoidable call.

"Good evening, Kotonami-kun. I hope you have good news." A deep voice answered at the other end of the line. Lory Takarada was loitering around the couch, playing one of his – other would say stupid – love games.

Kanae sighed heavily which was clearly heard by the President but answered him before he could ask. "No, unfortunately not. I did everything in my power but it led to nothing. As I already have told you Julie and I didn't get access to the quarantine documents. I tried again but the same answer. I wandered around the streets the last two days asking people and showing her photo around. But neither of them had even seen the girl. She's like the needle in the haystack. I also asked around if someone had eventually seen a snow tiger." She made a face like she had bitten into a lemon as she remembered the stares people shot at her after the questions. "I even went as far and ask nearly every hotel I could reach but no entry – at none of them. Either they travelled under a false name or they aren't in London and your private detective screwed up."

For the first time in his live Lory stopped playing his game due to a phone call. A glass of Tequila stood next to him and he smashed it against the wall. "That can't be true. It seems they have disappeared completely! Hell, I don't know what to do anymore. Maybe I'm going to make a trip to London myself but I'm loaded with work." He sighed heavily. "Thanks for your work anyway. I hope you enjoyed London a little bit."

"The time on the Catwalk is priceless. Although it was quite busy it was a great experience. Julie's kind but she can be some demon when it comes to clothes, style and make-up. Well, I have seen most of London sights from the outside and even took a few photos. The food was only okay and was something you need to get used to. If that's all, I'm going to see you at LME tomorrow." Kanae sat on her bed and examined all the things she got to pack. She groaned and started to put her things into the suitcases with one friend and looked sourly at the souvenirs she bought. Why had she bought these useless things again? Because some certain people would kill her if she didn't bring anything home at all. _Screw them, _she thought.

"No, there's nothing more. Good night, Kotonami-kun." Lory said and ended the call. He sighed. He had now to make a very unpleasant call to a certain someone. But before he called he took a sip out of the Tequila bottle. The he speed dialed Ren's number.

Ren woke up at the buzzing sound of his mobile. He looked at his alarm and saw it was two thirty in the morning. That could only mean it was either Lory or his parents wanting to speak with him. His voice sounded sleepy as he took the call. "Hello!"

"Sorry to wake you up. But Kotonami-kun just called. I'm afraid I've only got bad news for you. She hasn't found them." Lory said and Ren recognized the voice right away.

"Shit!" That was the only word Ren said before he hung up. He was now fully awake and trembling with anger. How could they not find her? In his rage he didn't think about the difficulties Kanae might have had. He nearly lost control as Kuon wanted to come to the surface but he suppressed his anger and instead drank some sips of Whisky. _Kyoko, where on earth are you? I miss you so much my heart might break apart. Why am I such a fool to let you run away from me? Come back to me, please! _He pleaded silently as tears ran down his cheeks. It was the first time he cried since Rick's death. Hopefully they would stop soon otherwise he would be a wrack in no time.

Lory sighed but he had predicted something like that. He glanced at the phone hoping Ren wouldn't do something wrong. It was silent for a few minutes. Then Lory took another sip of Tequila and decided to go to bed since he didn't even have the interest on playing his love game anymore.

* * *

Kanae woke up at seven o'clock in the morning. What a pain in the ass she thought as she was going through her daily washing routine. She dressed herself and went down to eat breakfast. After a light breakfast she went to her room the last time and got her suitcases. She was in a hurry and therefore she put the letter the concierge gave her carelessly into her handbag. She called a cab and they soon were at the airport. There she had the troubles to check in since she had excess luggage and had to pay a charge. As she finally arrived at the gate she sat down and immediately closed her eyes. She wanted to doze off because she hadn't slept well last night. She had some pretty crazy dreams and woke up every hour. A voice coming from the loudspeakers finally woke her up and the boarding began. She was flying first class again and was under the first to get on the plain. She seated herself and stored away her handbag. She relaxed at the feeling the seat gave off. A stewardess came and offered all of them something to drink and Kanae gladly accepted the water bottle. Since she was still sleepy she shut her eyes and slept about half the flight time. She was woken up by the stewardess who served the meals. It was pretty good for a warmed up meal. After eating the dessert she remembered the letter the concierge gave her. She wondered what it was about and who sent it. The envelope was blank and she couldn't find any address or name written on it. She was curious so she opened it and nearly started to shout.

_Dear Moko-san! _

_I hope you're doing fine. I wrote you this letter to say you'll going to be my best friend no matter what happens. Even if I can't see you! I hope your job was successful. I really envy you because of the opportunity you got. But it was expected, you're so beautiful and talented. Deliver my greetings to the President and all the other. Hug Maria-chan for me, will you? Don't worry about me! I'm doing well. I've found friends and even got kind of a family. I'm happy as the things are now so please don't search for me. The time I saw you I thought you came searching for me… but that wasn't the case, huh? But things are fine the way there now. I hope the others are well too. I miss all of them, especially Ren!_

_Well, Jelly-san told me to tell you to greet the President. She said it would be too much trouble to send him a kiss so you should only tell him she's alright. _

_I miss you! Many hugs and kisses, your best friend, _

_Mogami Kyoko. _

Kanae had tears in her eyes. "You're so stupid, Kyoko! I came there searching for you! The modeling job was only a cover." Kanae whispered reading the letter a second time. To think Kyoko had been right in front of her eyes mad her angry. Her sadness changed into rage. "You idiot!" That she said the words out loud she realized at she saw the faces turned into her direction. "My apologizes." She said in English and turned around to watch out of the window. Thankfully the flight would be over in a few hours. Kanae decided to read the book she brought along with her. She nearly finished it as the landing was announced. She got of the plane as first again and after picking up her luggage she approached the entrance. She didn't want to believe her eyes. The President waited for her with a whole group of soldiers. They were dressed as they were right out of a book Jane Austen wrote. They were surrounding the President, Maria, Ren, Yashiro and Chiori who seemed to wait for her. The stern face of the soldiers helped a lot to keep away the mass which wanted to see Ren.

"Welcome back again. How was your flight?" Ren asked and chuckled at the puzzled face of Kanae.

Kanae gritted her teeth. "Well, it was pleasant the first half but after I read this…" She didn't finish her words and shoved the letter to Ren's hand.

Ren wondered what had happened and looked puzzled at the piece of paper he now had in his hands. He unfolded it and read it. The other three were reading the letter too, looking over Ren's shoulder. They all gasped. Kyoko had seen Kanae? So she had been pretty close to her, close enough for Kanae to spot her. But if Kyoko didn't want to be found she likewise left in the blink of an eye. Ren crumbled the letter and turned around. His hands were fists now and he clenched them so hard together the knuckles were turning white. Maria, who head read the letter after the other went to him and comforted him silently as she hugged him tight. "It's best we take our leave. We're attracting a crowd." He said silently and a painful look crossed his face and soon vanished as he put on his mask again. The others agreed and they left heading towards the Takarada mansion.

* * *

Hello again! I hope you're going to like the chapter! One question: Does anyone of you know the anime series "Kaleido Star"? I'm thinking of writing a crossover fanfic including Kaleido Star and Skip Beat!. I wanted to know what you think of the idea. But anyways thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to reading your reviews! As you know, one review and I'm going to write a new chapter (if I haven't already started).

The P.S. is dedicated to **ZionX**: Thanks for reading! This is the next chapter for you! I hope I updated soon enough for you and you find it interesting.


	11. Hardships and an accident

**Forever More**

**11. Chapter:** Hardships and an accident

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Ren was furious, restless, angry and was nearly at a loss of control. "This stupid, stupid woman! Who does she even think she is? Running away like that, doesn't she even think about the possibility we might search for her?! HELL, she driving me CRAZY!" He was wandering around his apartment. He didn't no why but somehow he couldn't stay still. "Great, she is in London and by the seven gates of hell, I don't now what to do anymore." He finally was able to sit down. He had been wandering around for about three hours now. "Saying you miss me, you don't know what you're doing to me!" He covered his face with his hands. He wanted to tear out his hair! Every single one of them due to Kyoko's stupidity. He loved her but asked himself why must she be so dense at all? Somehow it was charming but right now it pissed him off. His phone rang and he scanned the caller ID. Fate had it tough for him.

"Kotonami-san, what do you want?" He answered the phone. His voice sounded bored and angry at the same time. He really didn't want to talk to her but if he didn't Kanae would pester the President and he didn't want them all to come over. For some strange reason Kanae cared for him.

"Oh, creepy aren't you?" Kanae said sarcastically. He had responded just the way she had expected him to do. "Just wanted to know if you were okay, nothing more, nothing less. It would be bad if you tried to do something stupid."

"Cut it out, will you? I'm trying to sleep." He said and it was a blunt lie. Hopefully Kanae wouldn't get it but he was proven wrong the next second.

"Yeah, for sure. And I'm Santa Claus." She sneered. How could he be making jokes at times like this? "Better think about the reason which drove her away." _Since you're the one who caused the whole mess! _She thought. She was wise enough to not say it out loud.

"Maybe it would be the best if you were Santa. I'd rather wish Kyoko would be back than to think about some stupid reason." Ren answered and was really getting tired out by her. Why on earth was she picking on him? He hadn't done something wrong, did he? An image appeared in front of his inner eye but it vanished as soon as he wanted to grab it. This was some riddle to be solved soon. "I'm going to hung up, just that you know. Good night!"

Kanae wasn't able to say anything before Ren hung up. She turned around and faced the President. "I assume he is alright since he was angry enough to scold me." Kanae was still at the Takarada mansion. Although it was late at night the two of them hadn't gone to sleep. They ha discussed on what to do now. Ren had left the mansion soon after they arrived.

"Thanks Kotonami-kun. If I would have called he probably wouldn't have answer the phone at all. About the matter we discussed before, I think we should…" He was interrupted by Kanae.

"That's all very well but somehow I have the feeling we should let Kyoko leave at piece for the moment. Something tells me she'll come back on her own. It maybe would take time but I'm confident about it." Kanae said fiercely not thinking about the consequences. She couldn't tell herself why she said that.

Lory raised one eyebrow. "Why are you so sure about it?" He only asked and waited for an answer.

"Well, I know her the best. I'm her best friend and somehow I have that feeling." She answered bluntly.

She didn't know she had given Lory the answer he wanted to hear so badly and was confused by his gentle smile. "I think you're right. The letter showed it. She may take her time to resolve any problem she had. I'm going to talk to Ren about this matter. I hope he understands that." _At least Kuon would understand it_ he added mentally. It would be a long and tiring conversation but he'll be sure he'll make his point clear.

"If that's the case, I'm going to bed now. I don't want to look rumpled tomorrow morning." Kanae lifted herself and went to the door. She nodded at the President and left the room. She would have gotten lost if it wasn't for Sebastian. He showed her to her room and bid good night. She smiled as she saw Maria sleeping at the second bed in the room. Somehow she got attached to the little girl and vice versa. "Good night, Maria-chan." She whispered after changing into her pajamas. She wrapped the blanket around herself and a smile appeared at her lips as she dreamed about Kyoko coming back to them all. She didn't know it would take Kyoko quite some time to get back to her home country.

The next day began and Ren was going to have a serious talk with Lory. He didn't know why the President had called him so early in the morning saying it was important and he had to come meet him at the office. He had woken and drove to LME as soon as possible. He was surprised that he saw his chef dressed in normal clothing. "Good morning, President." He greeted him.

Lory had waited impatiently for him to arrive. He was relieved Ren made it here in no time. "Good morning, Ren. I have something to discuss with you. Would you join me?" He asked.

Ren started at the President. He was acting rather formal, too formal for Ren's taste. "Sure. Where are we going?" Ren was on his guard. He wouldn't think of the President's intention as a trap but knowing him it could be possible.

Lory smiled a lonely smile. "At a place I often was with Jelly." His tune was sad as he went past his young friend. Ren was utterly defeated by the President and only nodded. They were taking the elevator down to the basement where a black Mercedes was parked on their left side. Lory got in and ushered Ren to do the same. Wondering what was going on they drove through Tokyo and after a while Lory held in front of an old shrine. "Get out. We're here." He said while climbing out himself.

Ren did as ordered and stood next to the President. He enjoyed the soothing and peaceful mood the shrine gave of. He followed as the President went up the steps leading to the shrine gate. A young miko opened them and bowed. She silently led them to the main shrine and left them alone. She didn't speak one word in order to not disturb the silence. Ren was grateful for that and kneeled down to pray. He clapped his hands together and calmed down. He was thankful that Lory brought him here.

Lory did the same and after a while they both stood up and bowed. They wandered around and encountered a place with a nice view over Tokyo. "I had a long talk with Kotonami-kun yesterday and I agreed with her at one point." Lory noticed Ren hadn't shown a sign if he heard him but after a pause Lory went on. "I think Kyoko got her own reasons to leave Japan. I don't think they're bad at all but I think she needs time to get over it." He said and glanced at Ren.

Ren came to this conclusion a while ago. He nodded and told the President to go on while he watched the peaceful view. He didn't need to say any words and the President understood what he tried to say.

"I'm sure she'll come back. I don't know how long it would take but she'll come back for sure." Lory said. Deep inside he felt that he was right and that he'll have his Love Me member number on back one day. "You should be the one to understand best."

Ren smiled sadly. "I know and I do understand. But why? WHY?" He cried out silently as his heart was ripped apart. "I hope she doesn't take too long to come back." He said straightening his back and fighting back the dark mood surrounding him.

"I don't know why but believe in her." Lory watched Ren battling his feelings and hoped that he wouldn't be broken by them. The stayed a while until Lory said it was time to head back. They both arrived and somehow Ren's spirit was enlightened as he had new hope. He would wait as long for Kyoko as he needed to wait. But the next time he saw her, he wouldn't let her go – forever. This evening while he sat in his apartment he started to write a letter to Kyoko, although he knew he wouldn't be able to send it. But somehow it released his feelings and it made him feel better. It was one of many letters which were following.

* * *

Jelly and Kyoko were laying finishing touches at their house and garden. The shooting of **Bad Luck – Good Luck** would be finished in one month. The director was pleased that his actors had pulled the shootings along with nearly no NGs. Although it was due to Kyoko's acting ability to pull all her co-actors in he was happy about Aidan's and Declan's acting abilities as well. The movie would be sky-rocking and the movie trailer shown at the cinemas was getting a lot of attention. Today the whole crew and staff as well as Jelly's family, Matt, Rachel and Laura and Damian would meet for the barbecue organized by Kyoko and Jelly.

Matt was already present and helped Kyoko and Jelly with their preparations. "Shizuka, I'm going to make sure Aki's cage is closed and locked. I don't want any of the others going in there!" He called and didn't wait for an answer. He went to Aki, petted the giant cat who was enjoying the gesture and secured he would be save in there. The tiger had enough space and water and so he went out, secured and locked the door. He put away the key to its used space: into a drawer in Kyoko's room. As he came back he nearly fell over Jelly who was searching for something. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, I'm searching for my earring. I lost it around here one minute ago." She said while she was one her knees and scanning the floor.

Matt saw a golden shimmer and stretched out his hand. He found a golden creole matching the one Jelly wore. "Is it this one?" He asked and went on to his next question. "Do you really think it was a good idea to let Shizuka having a barbecue?" Even if he found it fun he had his doubts.

"Thanks." Jelly put the earring on. "First I thought so but know? It's raining like there would be a deluge and I really have doubts concerning our security. I mean, what if someone found the key to Aki's cage?"

"I already put it away. Kyoko made clear she didn't want her guest wandering around the second floor and her private rooms so it should be okay. I think they will respect her wish. Who would want to step into her room without her knowing it? She would gladly run him over with her motorbike or punch him into a bunch of meat." Matt's voice sounded sarcastic but he was bothered by Jelly's words. He hoped everything went well this afternoon.

Kyoko made sure everything was at its place and then went to change herself. Afterwards she welcomed the first guest who happened to be Aidan. The first thing he wanted to know – since he wasn't at her home yet and didn't see Aki with his own eyes – she showed him the cage were Aki laid sleeping. "I think I must believe you now." He whispered and they were out of the room.

"I told you so. I'm not the type lying to someone." Kyoko answered. Meanwhile Laura and Damian had arrived. Damian hugged Kyoko the second he saw her and their fist bump followed. "Welcome, buddy. Laura, it's nice to have you here."

Laura nodded and grinned. "Nice to be here. I assume Aki's sleeping? I wanted to meet him." Laura answered her guest and eyed the door which led to the room where the entrance of the cage was.

"Sadly, yes. It's better you come another day to meet him. I'll make sure I'll introduce him to you soon enough." Kyoko grinned and talked to Damian a little more. Bit by bit the guests arrived. It was going to be a happy afternoon. The guests enjoyed the food and the warm atmosphere and none of them actually could even think about was happen to be next.

"This daughter of a bitch! She has the guts to steal my next my role as she has just stolen my place as Morgan. Instead of being the lead I've got to follow that bitch around." A young girl murmured as she went back from the toilet. She stopped and hit a door with her fist. Unluckily this door was only left ajar and with an evil grin she stepped into it. _Maybe I can find something shameful in here,_ the young girl thought and opened the drawer of the desk. She rummaged around a bit and found a masters key. _If it isn't the key to her little pet's cage. I'm not believing she keeps a tiger as the rumors say. Surely it's only a little kitten, I don't believe the rumors at all. Maybe I have a little fun with this one. _The girl smirked and left the room, the key hidden in one of her jeans pockets.

Matt went by the 'forbidden door' as they all called the door of the anteroom of Aki's cage. He heard some noise coming from inside and immediately went to look for the cage key and encountered it wasn't inside the drawer anymore. He rushed out. "Shizuka, I think someone's in Aki's cage!" He only whispered the words into Shizuka's ears to not make the others aware something bad is happening.

"What? I'm going to watch. Join me after informing Alice, Laura and Damian. I may need her help!" She said and vanished unnoticed. As Matt had predicted the cage door was unlocked. She heard someone talk to Aki and Aki's special purr which said to leave him alone immediately. The separated part of the cage where Aki was in momentarily was smaller and she soon found the person talking to him. What was worse this person was wearing a rather big switchblade. "You! Leave him alone now and put away that nasty thing you're holding." Kyoko spat out and watched the other girl with narrow eyes.

"So you really have a tiger, I'm impressed. But look, he's not worthy the title. He didn't even bare his fangs." The other girl said. She watched her rival, the girl who should be better dead then anything. "If I'm going to attack you now, you sure would be dead and all of the others would think your tiger had killed you." Hatred surrounded the girl now approaching Kyoko.

"Who are you anyways?! Whatever! If you want to go on with your – probably lowly – life I warn you to leave immediately." Kyoko stated and watched girl alertly. A growl escaped Aki's jaws. "Leave now, or you're going to be hurt badly." Kyoko's voice became urgent.

"Oh, now you order me to leave? Who do you think you are?!" The girl raised the silver switchblade. Aki's growl became louder every second but the girl didn't seem to notice. As she touched Kyoko's cheek it was going to become really risky. "What do you think I should do with this one?" She said as she eyed the blade with an evil and crazy smirk.

Aki stood up. He didn't want this human who smelled so bad near his master. She even was threatening his master. That scene he had seen numerous times as he was on set filming. But somehow he knew that this wasn't a fake. He came nearer and growled louder. The human was persistent since she didn't leave his master alone. He saw the steel of the blade and saw her rise it against his master. This was the second he reacted. He didn't want his master to be hurt, he didn't want his second master to leave so he bared his claws. And jumped.

The girl threatening Kyoko didn't know what went on behind her back but Kyoko saw. Within the blink of an eye she shoved the girl away. But it was too late. She only had the time to turn around as Akis' claws dug into her right shoulder. She fell on the ground as pain shot up her shoulder. She forced herself to stand up and faced Aki while blood was running down from the cuts his claws made.

Aki saw that he had hurt his master. Instantly he laid down flat and looked up with pleading eyes. He didn't want to be separated from his master. He was glad as his master stroked his fur. The smell of blood was in his nose and he fought against the will to bite.

Kyoko turned around again. She was sitting at the floor, fighting the pain. "Get out! NOW!" She said through gritted teeth. A warm feeling at her back made her aware that Aki was still there. But he wasn't going to attack her. Kyoko turned her head and saw the warm eyes of Aki as he licked the wounds with his tongue. Both of them didn't notice the now crying girl leaving.

After Matt informed the others he rushed back to the anteroom of Aki's cage. It had taken him some while to find all three. The moment he wanted to open the door a girl shot outside. He reacted and caught the girl. He pulled the hands of the girl behind her back so she wasn't able to move anymore. Laura and Damian rushed past him. "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Laura's voice came out of the cage and Jelly – who came just in – pulled out her mobile and called for the ambulance although she didn't know what happened.

Kyoko was panting hard and her blood stained the ground. But she held on Aki and it took Laura and Damian quite a while to get her off the tiger. The tiger wasn't trying to do anything and only watched his master with concerned eyes. "You didn't do something bad!" Kyoko murmured and Aki purred.

"Kyoko, we need you out of the cage! We do believe Aki hadn't done anything but you need to go to hospital." Laura's voice was urgent. Kyoko nodded and let Damian carry her outside. The ambulance had arrived and Damian handed her over and took care of the other girl. Matt rushed over to Kyoko as soon as Damian had her. "Matt, take care of Aki!" After this word Kyoko fainted. The paramedics hurried and Laura was driving with them to the hospital.

The other guests noticed that something was wrong and came to see. Jelly was taking care of them and soon they knew what happened and who the cause was. The police had arrived shortly after the ambulance as Jelly had called them right afterwards. They had taken the girl with them and the switchblade. Everyone left and all of them were hoping Shizuka wouldn't be that bad hurt. Everyone liked her and they were shattered that someone would want her dead.

* * *

Hours went by and Kyoko woke at the hospital. Her shoulder ached a little bit but there was nothing more. She opened her eyes groggily and saw Jelly. "What happened?" She asked since she didn't know what happened after she blacked out.

Jelly's eyes started to fill with tears. "Kyoko! I'm so glad you're okay!" It took her a few minutes to calm herself. "You're at the hospital. After you fainted the paramedics took you here. You're going to have scars but thankfully the cuts weren't as deep as when a wild tiger had attacked you." She explained and was shocked that Kyoko cared more about Aki than herself.

"Is Aki okay? They're not going to euthanize him?" She sat up beside her hurt shoulder. Worry was written all over her face so Jelly reassured her friend.

"No, they're not going to do anything to him. In fact, the police are amazed by his intelligence. The girl who is the cause of this will be blamed for all." Jelly watched as Kyoko laid back at her words. She was glad that the case was going to be closed mildly after all.

"How bad?" Kyoko asked and closed her eyes. This was another set of scars to add to her other ones. The scars on her back couldn't actually destroy her acting career, after all she had her fair share of them – she had worked as a stuntwoman. Normally she covered the scars expertly before filming. Now she wanted to hear how bad this four streams would show after the healing.

"Not as bad as we all thought – the physicians included. They had to cobble you together and it took them two hours to sew the wounds. You have between two hundred and three hundred stitches. The doctors lost count somewhere around two hundred twenty fifth stitch. Thankfully the cuts were nearly as clean as knife cuts would be and they disinfected it. It would take those six to eight weeks to heal completely." Jelly said.

Kyoko sighed. Her worries weren't completely relieved but what she heard was better news than she thought. "Had Taylor said anything at all?"

Jelly groaned. "Yes, he did. But he also said that the first thing you need is rest. He said he would delay the filming of your scenes and will finish the rest of all scenes whilst you're at the holiday. I warn you, I'm not going to say anything more!" Saying her finishing line Jelly stopped to talk and refused to answer any more of the patient's questions.

Finally Kyoko understood that she should take Jelly's and Taylor's advice serious after her doctor confirmed it. Kyoko rested and murmured something Jelly was nearly unable to her. "Thank you for all you've done."

"You're welcome, Kyoko. You're a really good friend, after all." Jelly answered and watched Kyoko drift to sleep. Although the scene was peaceful she knew that the next weeks – due to Kyoko's mentality considering work – would be stressful.

* * *

Kyoko was the most restless patient the hospital staff had ever worked with. They were relieved that after two weeks they could release her with the requirement she was not going to work anything except easy work. Now Jelly had the problem to keep Kyoko busy. It wasn't an easy task but finally five weeks had passed and the doctors said they could remove the topmost layer of stitches. The other stitches were made of a material which was dissolving itself so there wasn't a need to take those out. They were pleased with the result they got: The cuts had healed well and there were clear edges on the scars. The scars were about one centimeter high and at the beginning about three centimeters wide. They were getting smaller as those come to their end. Four of this light pink, new flesh and skin stripes decorated now Kyoko's right shoulder. They made a bow down to the first third of her spine.

"Miss White, I hope you're not going to do something as stupid again." One of the doctors started. "We were able to cobble you together and I hope I'm not going to see you in here again." The doctor said and grinned. He was the only one to get along together with her being his patient. The others had given up halfway.

"Thanks, doc." Kyoko answered as she was dressed again. "I'm sure I'm not going to make a barbecue ever again." She assured him with a smile and missed his sigh. She was happy to get back to work after seven weeks and promised to not overstate things – as in work.

Taylor and all the others staff and crew members were happy to have her back, most of them had visited her while her break. One girl was missing but nobody would cry after her. The trials on court would start in two weeks considering the girl's penalty and Kyoko's injury award. She would never be able to come back on stage again. "Welcome back, Shizuka!" A chorus greeted her as she came to the studio after resting seven weeks.

"Hey there! I'm glad to be back again! I missed it!" She said and was ushered into the changing room as soon as director Taylor saw her. She changed into the school uniform and cut out the shocked breaths as the make-up artist and costume director saw the cuts. Afterwards she stepped outside eager to become Morgan again and finish the filming. "Taylor, I'm ready!"

"Okay, on the positions! Scene 134 and ACTION!" The director's voice was clearly heard and a second world opened in front of his eyes.

_Morgan sat in front of Ross apartment and waited for him to come home. Today she had quit the gang and was covered in bruises and mud. There may be the possibility that she had broken her wrist as swollen as it was. Finally, she heard steps coming nearer. As she looked up she met her teacher eyes and grinned. "You're late!" _

_John Ross couldn't believe his eyes. His student sat there waiting for him as if she was a lost puppy. "Morgan Fey! What the hell happened to you?" He was terrified by her looks and quickly unlocked the door to his apartment to let her in. _

_Morgan heaved herself of the floor. "As if you didn't know what happened. I quit the gang and decided to not be a delinquent anymore." She grinned and sucked in air. She had touched her swollen wrist. _

_John closed the door behind her. "I assume it was the time to quit but why are you in such a desolate condition?" He asked. He had seen her wrist and now took her on the other hand and dragged her into the kitchen. He turned on the cold water. "Put your hand under it." _

_Morgan was bewildered by his attics. "What is he up to now?" She thought loud and got prompt an answer. _

"_Obviously I'm going to take care of you." His voice was sounding like he was going to regret it later. He had found some bandages at his bathroom and was now going to treat her wrist. He also had found some disinfectant and was going to treat the open wounds. But not before she went to shower herself. "Get a shower, will you?" He said and shoved her into the bathroom and closed the door. _

_Puzzled she stared at it a few seconds and then shrugged her shoulders. She undressed herself and stepped under the hot water which made her body relax and hurt at the same time. She had forgotten to lock the door and she was grateful for the shower curtain as the bathroom door opened and steps were heard. _

_John hated to admit it but he had to go in and bring her some clothes. He calmed himself down saying she was only a student. "As hell she is!" He grumbled moodily. The steam coming out of the shower was making him want to step in too. 'Take yourself together, Ross! She's off limit!' he screamed in his head. "Morgan, I put some clothes on the small stool. A towel is on top of it." He said and after hearing her yes he left the bath again. He was emotionally exhausted and forgot about treating her wounds and fell on his bed. He closed his eyes and before he could remember it was morning and he woke up. With a sound asleep Morgan Fey in his arms. _

_Morgan finished and stepped out of her shower. She toweled herself and put on the clothes Ross had given her. It was a man's shirt and a pair of tracksuit pants, both too big for her. She looked like a little girl wearing her father's clothes. She called out to Ross but didn't get an answer and she searched for him. He was laying on his bed sound asleep. She shook her had and searched for the bandages. Thankfully it was only her left wrist injured and she managed to wrap the bandages around it herself. Then she decided to go to sleep too. As she faced the packed couch she grumbled. "And where in hell should I sleep, you idiot?" She grumbled but it didn't take her too long. She forcefully rolled her teacher to one side of the bad and lay down beside him. She grinned as he hugged her and drifted off only to be woken by a loud crash next morning._

"Cut! That's a wrap." Taylor called and everyone relaxed. Seeing Shizuka working as she normally did, getting no NGs at all relieved them. The day went by and the filming proceeded as excellent as it started. At the end of the day Kyoko and all the other crew members were exhausted but happy. "If the filming continues like that, we only have to film for two more weeks and we would be finished." He said and everyone was happy about it. The delay had caused many troubles with everyone's schedules. "Okay, guys. Keep on the good work and I'll see you all tomorrow at eight o'clock am!" With that all of them went home.

* * *

Ren really tried to be patient but today he had snapped. Today he was going to rip the head off of someone. Either it was going to be the President, Daishi Moe or the director of **Two Men, One Girl**. As he was called on set again he was furious. One little mistake of Daishi Moe and he was going to snap. Luckily the director saw in which mood Ren was and was careful about how he talked to him. The rest of the crew noticed too but only Daishi Moe was too blind to see.

"Sweetie! What are you doing this evening? Care to join me?" Daishi Moe looked like the cat which at the canary. She had decided to make a move. Four months had passed since her rival Kyoko had left the entertaining business and Ren was free for her. She had given him more than enough of time to forget that little girl. Unfortunately she had chosen the worst moment to act like she was acting.

Ren turned around as he had already walked past her. "I beg your pardon?" He said with his fake smile and a voice nearly as cold as steel. The crew members surrounding him took a step back immediately. The director only hoped that Ren wasn't going to murder his lead although he would be happy about it.

Daishi Moe didn't even shiver. She had predicted it would be a hard case to convince him she was the best for him and not this stupid girl Kyoko. "I asked you if you'd care to join me this afternoon, Sweetie." She said and was clearly understood by all present.

"And who do you think you are asking me something like that? I don't recall giving you the permission to speak with me so casually." Ren answered and hoped this woman would just back down already. He didn't want to be with anyone than Kyoko.

"Well, I'm your co-star, after all." Daishi Moe smirked. "Kyoko isn't around anymore so why shouldn't I take her place?" She asked and laid a hand on his chest. She was too confident of herself.

"Shut up, you old hag!" A female voice answered her question. Chiori was now taking action. She had sometimes talked with Kanae and Ren about Kyoko. She admired Kyoko and believed in her coming back some time. She knew about Kyoko and Ren, that they loved each other although Kyoko hadn't realized it yet. "Who are you to talk about Kyoko? You have never met her! She's a better actress than you are and that said you have a gruesome personality too. I don't think you could ever take her place. If you haven't slept with so many people you wouldn't even be here today." She spat out and faced the woman in front of her.

Ren was surprised. He knew that Chiori had a small role in this movie and they had shared some of their lunch time but he wouldn't have expected her to stand up to this… woman. "Thanks Amamiya-san but I think I'm going to solve this little problem we got here." He turned around to Daishi Moe. "Sadly every little part of what she said now is true. I think you should worry about your reputation since it's an open set." He grinned evilly and turned around. A journalist who had come to watch on his behalf was scribbling down notes hectically.

Chiori grinned wide. "You're doomed!" She whispered so only Ren and Daishi Moe could hear it. Then she walked away and took her place again.

Ren was pleased that Chiori had helped him and thought of something even more humiliating. "Director, I think it's the best if we end the filming for today. I have the feeling that a certain someone had to cool his temper and head."

The director nodded hopelessly and agreed with that. He would have a private talk with Daishi Moe soon. It was bad some little details came out to the open. He would have to make sure that his lead actress would behave herself otherwise it would be pretty bad for him. Ren's reputation wouldn't be hurt at all but his would be as bad as never before. "I'll see you tomorrow at appointed time." He said and sighed as all present left. "Daishi-kun, I need a word with you!"

Ren and Chiori grinned evilly. Yashiro had left a few minutes before to get him and Ren some water and was puzzled as everyone was on the leave. Before he could ask Ren said that he would explain while driving. "Amamiya-san, I'm going to give you a ride." He stated and Chiori gladly accepted. Now Yashiro was puzzled even more.

* * *

Hello! Thanks for reading! Next chapter is up and I hope you like it. The little accident described was planned from the beginning of the story but I didn't know when it would take place. I hope you're not too angry with me for hurting the heroine but it fits Shizuka's image as though girl more. I'm not going to spoil my next chapter but the scars are important. Okay, that's all for now. Same procedure as every chapter: one review and I'll start to write the next one.

The P.S. is dedicated to **BlindSaya**: Thanks for reading! Kyoko herself is going to be more like Shizuka from now on. I hope you'll be going to like it. Sorry for mixing up the Mexican dishes ^^°

* * *

Edited: 11th March, 2013


	12. Decisions

**Forever More**

**12. Chapter:** Decisions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Ren was giving Yashiro a lift home. The manager sat at the passenger's seat and was sulking. His inner fan girl was crying out in despair to know what happened. He tried to pull himself together and nearly did it. But he couldn't help to ask Ren. "What were you thinking? Driving Amamiya-kun home? You even said it in front of the journalist? Did you move on already? I didn't think you were such a cold hearted guy at all."

Ren nearly lost control over the car as he heard the last words. He had to stay focused otherwise they would have crashed into a wall on the side. He was left speechless but unfortunately his manager wasn't.

"REN! Do you want to kill us! I didn't know you were as desperately trying to get rid of me!" Yashiro pouted besides his fast beating heart. He was shocked that Ren nearly lost control of the car, he never did before.

"No, I'm not trying to get rid of you. I wouldn't find another manager who was eager to organize my overly hectic schedule without going crazy!" Ren answered and his voice was weak. "I didn't think about anything as I offered Amamiya-san a drive. She had defended her friend and if she hadn't done so I would have. The reporter was actually paid by me, he wouldn't dare to write anything concerning Amamiya-san in the article. And last but not least: I've not moved on! I miss Kyoko like crazy! What do you think I'm doing in the evenings?"

"Well, I don't know, solving crossword puzzles? You never told me!" Yashiro shoved his glasses back onto his nose since they were going loose. He was afraid Ren was going to throw him out of the car soon as he came up with every possible way to annoy him. But he wanted to know what his friend felt, the last few weeks he had played the perfect gentleman.

Ren started to laugh. Yashiro's suggestion was so far off the reality he couldn't help but to cringe with laughter. Thankfully the traffic light was red otherwise he would have held up the whole traffic. He composed himself as the light sprang to green. "That's really hilarious!" He only said and a few minutes there was silence resting inside the car. Ren was aware of the hidden glances Yashiro gave him and decided to put an end to it. Yashiro – he knew – wasn't going to let him off the hook with just that little information. "I'm writing her a letter every evening. That's how I try to cope with her absence."

Yashiro only nodded as he heard Ren's explanation. He had predicted something like this since the President had told him of their little conversation. "Why don't you try to get her back? I mean, did you even think about your mistake that drove her away?" He asked. He wanted Ren to make some moves. He had been tantalizing Ren the past few days but didn't get any reaction at all.

Ren was getting angrier with every comment Yashiro said. "What the heck should I do? Flying over to London and search for myself?" That was the moment he realized he hadn't even thought of this possibility. It sounded great to him and a smirk showed on his grins.

Yashiro was starting to sweat hard and turned pale as a ghost. "Ren, don't even dare to think about it! Rescheduling your work would be a Sisyphean task! It would never end!" He wanted to beat that idea out of Ren's head but knew he was falling on deaf ears. _Stupid, stupid, stupid Yukihito! You're digging your own grave! _Yashiro thought and his inner fan girl wanted to bang his head at the car's dashboard.

"Too late, Yashiro. I'm going to talk about this matter with the President." Ren grinned inwardly as he saw Yashiro going paler and paler with every second. Although he had to admit it was fun teasing his manager back he also considered him as a friend. "But don't worry. I'll fly when I didn't have as much workload as now. First of all I'm an actor and I don't abandon my work – unless as a certain someone." He said darkly.

Yashiro cringed again. He hoped that Ren would calm himself down. Sometimes his client got this dark moments and this were the moments Yashiro was most afraid of him. "If you think so… I'll let you of the hook for now." He answered and opened the door. They had arrived at his apartment complex and it was time to part. "Ren, I'm seeing you tomorrow." He said and closed the door.

Ren drove home with a smile and as soon as he was in his apartment he started to write the next letter to his beloved one. He didn't even bother to eat anything that evening. Normally he forced himself to eat at least three onigiris but this evening he didn't want to spoil his mood.

* * *

Kyoko woke up. Today would be the last day filming of **Bad Luck – Good Luck**. Her next project already waited. It was the drama **Scarlet Rose High – The slightly different school** and the first read through was today in the afternoon. She decided to stand up and really fell over two silhouettes camping in front of her room. "Whaaaa!" She shouted and soon the two persons woke up.

"Good morning, big sis! Did we scare you?" A very sleepy voice asked and a face looked up to her. Sora twinkled while Rachel was trying to get out of the blanket she had rolled herself into. She looked like a little worm. "Mornin'…" She stuttered and yawned.

"No, you didn't. I wasn't expecting you here. Our sleepover party is actually tomorrow, isn't it?" Kyoko asked puzzled. She only wore black panties and a ragged t-shirt with some stupid saying printed on it. It said: "All guys hate the words DON'T and STOP unless they're put together!"

"Nice little saying you've printed on your shirt." Kyoko spun around and saw Matt grinning as he leaned at the door frame leading to the guestroom. He only wore his jeans which hung low at his hips. He didn't even bother to button it, he only bothered to zipper it. "Good morning, Shizuka!"

Kyoko raised one eyebrow. "Are you trying to seduce me?" She asked him and noticed the deep circles under his eyes. She was curious why they were there. Then she turned around to the two girls who were sleeping sound again. It seemed the night was hard on them and she carried Sora into her room and laid her on her bed. Matt followed and did the same with Rachel. "Dare to say me what's going on?"

He sighed and looked at the two sleeping girls. He nodded. "But not in here. I don't want Rachel to hear it again." He answered and they decided to talk in the guest room. "By the way, are you trying to seduce me? A guy usually wants to discover things that are under those kind of clothing?" He tried to joke around but it didn't work.

"They can't here us. So what happened?" Kyoko asked concerned. It was rare that Matt would use the spare key she gave him to enter the house without telling her.

"You know that Rachel and I don't have parents anymore. They died in an accident but that was long ago. Yesterday late in the evening there was a fire at our apartment complex. The fire brigade wasn't able to control the flames and soon half of the house burned to ashes. I had only time to grab the important documents as mine and Rachel's passport, the birth certificates etcetera and Rachel herself. Otherwise we would have been trapped in the fire. I didn't know of any other place to stay and I hope you'll allow us to stay here. I've talked with Jelly shortly yesterdays evening and she said I should rest before talking with you. Rachel was afraid something would happen to you too and decided to sleep on the floor. We first asked for Ran's and Aaron's key to enter and Sora decided to come over with us that she could protect us if you wanted to throw us out." He said. He was really tired at the moment, the whole stress was causing him a big headache and he suddenly hugged Shizuka. She was the only one who could give him the strength to move on for Rachel. She was his 'adopted' sister after all.

Kyoko listened with sharp ears. As he continued with his story she began to realize what he had to go through. At the end he hugged her. They embraced each other until Matt fell asleep again. Since they sat on the bed Kyoko untangled herself and covered Matt with a blanket. Then she went down.

Jelly was already up and looked at her with serious eyes. "You know it's a risk if the two of them stay here from now on. They may discover our little charade." The cup of coffee in her hands was steaming and Jelly looked like she didn't sleep well at all.

"I know. But are you going to throw them out of the house while they have no place to stay?" Kyoko asked her and hoped Jelly wasn't that heartless. She believed that Matt and Rachel would keep their secret if they found out accidently. "I mean, I get along with him well. They're like siblings to me."

Jelly had predicted that reaction and grinned. She knew how badly Kyoko wanted a family and she prayed every day that she would be gifted with a nice one one day. "It's okay. They can stay. We only need to decide how we're going to get them clothes and such small things." She glanced at the clock. "But now isn't the time to worry about that, we're going to be late if we didn't hurry."

Kyoko hurried and changed. They left the house without eating breakfast and Kyoko was sad she couldn't have a cup of hot tea. It was now the end of October and the weather was pretty bad. It rained the whole day and sometimes it was windy. Thankfully their last scene would be taken inside the studio so nobody would freeze to death outside.

_The school year was over. Morgan Fey looked around the corridors, hoping to see the one face she was searching for. But as she had already predicted Ross wasn't anywhere found. Sighing she walked to his office and slipped the door open. She had done that at few times before out of boredom. Eying the chaos on his desk skeptically she sat down on a whole bunch of papers. "It's his own fault if the papers get crumbled. Actually school was over by now but she waited to go home with him. Recently Ross had moved in at the apartment next door. They would bump into each other several times in their holidays. The door opened and she grinned. "Hey, Ross! Took you long enough to find back to your little cave." She said with a big grin. _

_John sighed at the sight in front of him. "Oh well, what shells. You're going to annoy me all holidays long, aren't you?" He asked but was kind of happy about. Truth to be told, it would be really lonely and boring without his favorite student around. He grabbed some of the things he would need over the summer. _

"_Sure! I won't let you of the hook, Ross." She said with an evil grin spreading across her face. "It's summer after all. And on top of that holidays. Which means you can't say anything against me." Her grin grew wider and wider with every second. "Ross, it's payback time." _

_John was shocked speechless. What she said was absolutely true. A shiver ran down his shine while he watched Morgan as she sat on the desk and swung her feet. The evil grin did nothing to reassure him in a good way. "Don't be to hard on me, 'kay?" He had to restrain himself since he was nearly begging her to let him off the hook. _

_Morgan's sugar coated voice was heard. "You wish!" She only said and hoped down of the desk. "Better get ready!" She smiled evilly and grabbed his tie. _

_John was sweatdroping now. She wasn't going to show any mercy and helplessly as he was he only had the option of following her. "History repeats itself in a strange way." He stated and he was definitely right. She was dragging him along behind her holding tight on his tie. _

"_Yep! Funny, isn't it?" Morgan was really happy. Finally she had gotten the chance for payback. "It's going to be fun." She grinned and put on a helmet. The second one she placed Ross' head. She started the engine of her motorbike and drove away with a sulking Ross on her second seat. "Summer is going to be great!" She shouted happily and didn't her the answer of Ross that said: Surely not! _

"Cut!" Taylor shouted and everyone grinned. They all knew it was a wrap and cheered before the director could even say a single peep. The director soon questioned himself why he didn't brought any earplugs.

"WOHOOO! Guys, we did it! We're finished!" That and other words of joy were heard in the studio. Outside the passersby stopped and looked at the noise coming from the inside. They wondered what it would be and went by. "Congratulations!"

"GUYS!" It wasn't the director's voice who finally stopped the noise, it was Shizuka's. "Behave yourself! I don't want to get in trouble because we're heard at the other studios." She said with a big grin which showed she was pretty well aware the surrounding studios were empty or used only for photo shootings. She earned a thankful glance from Taylor. "Taylor! Thanks for guiding us", she said and a smirk appeared on her lips, "therefore we're going to have a party tomorrow in the evening. Right, Taylor?"

Taylor had known that something was fishy about Kyoko helping him. Now he knew why. It would give him a headache the day after tomorrow but he wasn't going to back out of the challenge. The crew and staff members had fixed their eyes on him and waited for an answer. And they got them. "True. It'll start tomorrow at nine o'clock at the 'Murphy's'. I hope to see you all there!" He glanced at Kyoko's direction and saw the bright smile plastered on her face. He was definitely going to have a headache.

* * *

Laura was sitting in her office grinning from on ear to the other. The news she got were absolutely amusing. Kyoko would work together with Roxanne Crawford. The famous actress would play the headmistress in **Scarlet Rose High – The slightly different school**. She was really looking forward to seeing this constellation since both women had clashed the minute they saw each other. They tolerated each other and tried everything not to cross their paths. As expected the door opened and Aaron Thorne came in wearing a black business suit. "Hello, Aaron. How're you?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"Hello, Laura. I'm fine, thanks. How're you?" He asked and sighed as he let himself falling into a chair in front of Laura's desk. He had been at the court for three hours and was happy to have a few minutes piece. "I assume they're done with the filming of **Bad Luck – Good Luck**. I walked by at the studio and it sounded they were starting to party."

"Well I'm fine. I just got some amusing news I have to share with Jelly later." She started to laugh. "Yeah. It took them long enough to complete the filming thanks to that little bitch." She hissed as she remembered why the filming had had to be delayed. Which led directly to the man in front of her. "What did you find out about this girl?"

"Well, that girl had quite a reputation at the local police office. She was blamed for pickpocketing, insulting officials and even two cases of minor assault at two of her former crew members." He stated and took some files out of his briefcase. Then he continued. "The company she's for had quite a number of internal complaints against her. They all contained of her bad behavior and small threatening cases. The company is pretty small and cannot afford to loose any of its talents."

Laura listened and was disgusted by the girl's attitude. "It figures to me that the girl needs to get a good beating on court." She answered although she had hoped she wouldn't have to face the court. But the other party refused to make a compromising agreement.

"Yes. I hoped this wouldn't be the case since it would fire up the press and the media. It would put Kyoko right into the spotlight. I'm trying to avoid all problems with them. But as stubborn as the other party is it would probably lead to problems." Aaron shook his head and tried to cope with the troubles that soon would appear.

Laura nodded in agreement. "I'm going to help you with the media and the press where I can and keep the damage low. I hope the girl knows better as to annoy the judges or any other people she might need in the future. That's helpful for us since she would have to keep a low profile."

"Anyways, we're going to bounce Kyoko out of this accusation. I don't think why the girl even dared to pull of such a thing since Kyoko said she's going to give up any money she would get of the girl." Aaron shrugged with his shoulders. His eyes fell on the clock on the wall. It was time to go since he had another appointment with a client in half an hour. "I'm going to see you around, Laura. I have to go." He stood up and shook Laura's offered hand. After this, he was out of the door.

Laura sat there and thought about the press and the media and how to avoid them both. She didn't dare to think what would happen if Kyoko's case became international attention. If that was going to be the case, she was sure some people in Japan would be able to recognize the Japanese actress who left months ago. And that's the reason she hadn't told Kyoko about the ball she was soon going to attend. But looking at the invitation and whom it came from made it impossible to say no. Shizuka would be seen on screen world wide if she was going to attend. But Laura knew there was no way out of it. One thing she needed to discuss with the girl in the next days.

* * *

Roxanne Crawford sat in the meeting room. The director of the drama **Scarlet Rose High – The slightly different school** had made a fuss about who he other actors and actresses would be. She was here early thanks to her manager who seemed to be unable to read her schedule book. What a shame and she thought of getting him replaced as soon as possible since today wasn't his first mistake. She was ripped out of her thoughts as the door opened and a girl stood in the frame. She only raised her eyebrow and watched the girl staring at her.

Kyoko was happy to be right on time. In fact, she was a little bit too early since she had to drop off Jelly at Laura's office. The two women needed to discuss something about the soon upcoming court case. She hadn't thought of the possibility of some others arriving early too. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Crawford." She said as she approached one of the free chairs. It was cold outside and since it had been raining and snowing at the same time Kyoko had decided to take her coat. It was winter but it didn't stop her to wear the punk outfits she was known for wearing all the time.

"Good afternoon, Ms. White." Roxanne answered and scanned the young woman. She twitched her eyebrows at the outfit she wore. The black leather strap boots she wore were covering up her red leather trousers with a wide studded belt. Due to the boots having high heels Kyoko was about five inches taller than normally. Underneath a pink and red corsage she wore a long sleeved chiffon blouse. Her hair was still in the same up-do: cornrows and thin braids. Kyoko hadn't used any accessories except her driving gloves, the earrings and one choker she wore. As she took off her knee-length fleece coat with faux fur and a lacing on the back Roxanne smiled a little. She respected the girl for her courage to appear like a punk in the public since she's an actress.

Kyoko didn't mind the silence which lay over the room. She grinned and took out her script for **Scarlet Rose**. She found the other name too long to be used every time they talked about the drama. Sometimes she looked at Roxanne. As she had read the first scenes over and over again and nobody showed up she stood up and walked out of the room. After a few minutes she came back she had two bottles of water in her hands. She dropped one right in front of Roxanne's nose.

"Thanks." Roxanne said as took the bottle and drank two sips. "Are you actually trying to be nice of me, Ms. White?"

"Well, no, I'm not. I only thought you're going to need the water later and as I don't see your manager around, I decided to get you a bottle too. By the way, it's Shizuka." She answered and started to read the script again.

"Why are you doing this?" Curious Roxanne watched Shizuka reading over the same lines again and again. It must be boring for her to do that considering her facial expression.

Kyoko shifted her eyes to Roxanne. She was puzzled because she had no idea what that sentence meant. "Why am I doing what?" Her eyes were fixed on the other woman.

"Reading the same lines for half an hour now. You know it's useless to try and remember the text if you haven't until now. You're supposed to be a professional. I doubt it because you don't look like one, Shizuka." A wide grin spread at her face. Roxanne had fun to test out the woman in front of her. Obviously she had forgotten what happened at the first time they had met each other.

Kyoko's grudge demons appeared. They did every time she met Roxanne and as soon as they were out they wrapped Roxanne in their embrace.

Kyoko raised one eyebrow. "Really? Do you think I'm that stupid?" She rose from her chair and went to Roxanne. "I know all of those lines and few lines of the other scenes. Well, I assume you… just shut up! I was trying to be polite last time but I see you're not true on your own words. Too bad!" Now she was standing at Roxanne's side. She bent down and whispered some words into her ears. "Old ladies tend to have… accidents." She whispered and a maniac feeling radiated around her: Mio's malice. The grudge demons had fun strangling the woman who was their pray. "Understood?"

First Roxanne thought the girl wanted to leave the room but was soon proven wrong. She shivered as she heard the whispered words and since something tried to strangle her she wasn't able to say a word. She could only nod and after she did whatever was strangling her disappeared. She gaped for air.

"As for the sake of both our careers I assume we'll behave ourselves in public. I don't want the drama to be as disgrace only because we're fighting. Don't you agree?" Kyoko felt relaxed. For the time being she started to change herself into Shizuka White, she had less doubts of acting a bit evil.

Roxanne stared at the girl in disbelieve. First, she threatened her and in the next second she offered her to get out of the affairs in a way none of the two lost their pride. She started to respect the girl in this very second. "Agreed." She couldn't say any other words due to the door opening behind her.

The producer stood in the open door, behind him the director and two assistants as well as other actresses. "Good afternoon! Please take a seat. As I see all of you are already present we can start the movie." The Producer didn't even wait till all of them had a seat but went right on. "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Marco Ventre and I'll be the producer of this movie. You won't see me too often on set although I tend to control the work of all of you. This man is your director, please tread him well. Severus Gordon tends to overreact sometimes." He went on and introduced the others as well. At the end he mentioned Roxanne and Shizuka. "And finally: This woman – all of you hopefully knew who she is – is Roxanne Crawford. The young woman over there is Shizuka White, I hope to get to know her soon. Now, after the instructions are over we're going to start with the read-through." After those words a stressing afternoon began.

* * *

It was already nine o'clock in the evening as Kyoko and Jelly came home. They walked into the house and smelled something wonderful. As they came nearer to the kitchen they knew what it was: dinner. "Wow, Matt! You're a lifesaver!" Both women said in unison before they collapsed on chairs.

Matt turned around and greeted them. He wondered why they were so exhausted but decided not to ask. Shizuka would tell anyway if she wanted. "First, we should eat." While he said that he served dinner. He watched them eating their dinner with amusement. While Jelly ate so little it was close to nothing Shizuka on the other had ate as if she hadn't eaten in ages.

Kyoko was the first to speak. "Rachel's gone to bed already? I want to be young again!" She sighed heavily and tried to forget what happened this afternoon. The new director of **Scarlet Rose** was literarily a pain in the ass. He had a clearly imagination of the drama. He didn't step one inch away from his point of few and criticized nearly every single world they said. If he was going to e like that on the set too, some actors and actresses sure were going to kill him sooner or later.

"Wow, what happened?" Matt asked and lay down his fork. He laid down his fork. He had made steaks, roasted potatoes, vegetables and salad. He waited and then he was nearly overflowed with Shizuka's words.

"This man is impossible. He intents on the details like no other and overreacts as easily as a frightened Chihuahua. When he does, he sounds like a small kid and after his lecture there's the possibility he starts crying. He loves sweets and stops making a fuss about something or stops crying if you shove lemon candy into his mouth." She answered. Yes, if you saw the whole afternoon through Matt's eyes it would have been hilarious.

Jelly added that she didn't know who this guy ever became a movie and drama director – and one of the best in Britain. He was well known internationally for his talent and his demeanor. But she wasn't the one to wonder about such things. Looking at Lory's career was also hilarious enough.

"Oh my god! Don't say me such a guy really exists!" For Matt it was indeed unbelievable such a guy existed. He couldn't believe his ears and Shizuka said if she wanted to meet him she would take him to the filming one time. He shook his head deciding he would want to stay sane in his future also.

"By the way, I'll give you some money." Jelly interrupted their conversation. "You'll need some new clothes I believe and some other things for your daily life. If you want, you can pay the money back although you don't need to." Jelly said and watched Matt's eyes widen.

Matt was left speechless. He hadn't been expecting so much charity. Before he could even stutter a word of thanks, Shizuka cut his mind short.

"Matt, you don't have thought of a dessert, haven't you?" Her hopelessly cute face told him that he had been right in buying some cake.

"I do. Do you want some?" After he received a wide grin from her he didn't need a spoken answer. He went into the kitchen and put three slices of cakes on three plates. He put them into the microwave and warmed them up. He searched for whipped cream and served them warm apple strudel. "Since it is winter, I thought this would be perfect." He also made hot chocolate.

"Matt you're an angel!" Again those words came in unison from the two women. That's exactly what they had needed to fully relax.

Aki had been sleeping until now on the living room floor and now woke up. He came to welcome his master back and wanted to be petted. Aki purred as Kyoko began to stroke his fur and was acting like a lap cat. After the dessert they went into the living room and talked about some things which needed to be discussed after Matt and Rachel would be moving in. Aki didn't understand what was going on but realized it had to do something with this boy and the small girl he had seen earlier the day. Finally they were finished and Aki trotted behind his master into his bed room.

Kyoko sighed. "Do you want to sleep here?" She asked the cat. She started laughing as she saw his pleading eyes. "Okay, for a change." She said and went to bed after changing. Aki lay in front of her bed, already sleeping. Hearing his steady breaths she was soon sleeping too.

* * *

Hello again!

I'm really sorry for the long delay of this chapter! I'm drowning in exams and hadn't had time to write as much as I had wanted to. I hope you're going to enjoy the chapter. Please review and as always: One review for the next chapter. Since nobody had answered the question I asked in one of the previous chapters I'll ask it again and hopefully I get an answer this time. Really, do you think I ask a question if I didn't want your opinion? Okay, once again: Does anybody know 'Kaleido Star' – an anime – and what do you think about a crossover story with this and Skip Beat? I'm looking forward to your answers

The P.S. is dedicated to **sakurahana123**: I hope you're going to like this chapter. As you see, Ren had made up his mind and is driving Yashiro crazy. Oh, I'm evil, aren't I? *grin*


	13. Mischief and Royals

**Forever More**

**13. Chapter:** Mischief and Royals

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters! I want to remind you that this story is entirely fictional and is not meant to cast aspersions on the true Royal Family in any way! None of the names –, personalities and events in this story reflect true events in any way, except the titles of nobility (e.g.: Duke of Cambridge). I'm only going to state this once but please remind this statement counts for every other chapter which includes the fictional characters of the Royal Family.

* * *

It was nine o'clock at noon and Laura sat in her office. She waited impatiently for her friend to arrive. It was time to discuss what to do about the invitation. Sure, the Royals gave parties sometimes but why had the crown princess sent an invitation to a complete unknown person? They would find out sooner or later since no one could ignore such an invitation. It would be a great opportunity for her to get to know other people – important people who have power. The black coffee in front of her was constantly ignored as she tried to figure some plans out. Even if she didn't know what to do anyways. She looked up as the door opened.

Jelly had been dropped of at the office by Kyoko as the young actress had agreed to help Matt with the governing authorities. Some information needed to be changed and also they had to grapple with the stuff of the assurances. Matt was really glad for the help because with a well-known face at his side things would be a little bit faster than normal. Aaron had left for court early, Ran was sick and in addition the twins had to be brought to daycare. Kyoko had taken over all the tasks this morning since she was free. Therefore Jelly was now alone. "Morning, Laura. Why did you want me to be here so early?"

"Morning, Jelly. Well, there is something I have to discuss with you. And it's urgent." Laura answered and handed Jelly the invitation. "I'm going to order some coffee for you. A latte macchiato as always?"

Jelly's answer came absent minded. She had her eyes glued on the invitation. She couldn't believe it was right. After she finished reading the letter for the third time she looked up at Laura. Disbelieve amazement and worries were clearly written on her face. "Can I really believe my eyes?" Her voice was only a whisper.

Since Jelly was so absorbed in reading the text she ordered her secretary to make a latte. After a few minutes the middle aged woman came back handing her a tablet. Laura thanked her and placed the coffee right in front of Jelly's face. As her friend asked her if it was true what was written she answered. "Yeah. I phoned the Royal Family and they confirmed the invitation." She had gone through a lot of trouble to get the proof. Not only one time had she cursed the bureaucracy.

"That's a bit troublesome but well. If she wants to meet Kyoko who are we to say no?" Jelly said whilst a grin formed on her face. She was really happy about it. The only thing she hoped that the media wouldn't be interested in Kyoko. "When takes this ball takes place?"

"Actually, next week. But it's enough time to get things in motion." Laura said. She imagined Kyoko what Kyoko's dress would look like. Personally the girl would choose an absolute princess-style dress. Considering that she's using a fake personality she would most likely choose a dress fitting Shizuka – she had an image to maintain. And she believed that the young actress was going to show off her scar to remind every one not to come too close to her or Aki or anyone she loves or cares for. "I can't wait to see her face when we tell her!"

"Well, most likely she would go to Lala-land." A soft smile filled her eyes. Kyoko grew more and more to be Jelly's sister than just a friend. "I'm happy for her. I'll call her and say she should come to the office." She got her mobile out of her bag and called her young friend. She only shook her head as she heard the voice mail answering her call and typed a short message. "She's going to come sooner or later. She took over some tasks for Ran due to her being hill and helping Matt."

"Okay, now. I've got some more offers for her. Do you mind looking at them together with me?" Laura asked and didn't wait for Jelly to answer. But her friend came over as soon as she got the offer.

* * *

Lory was sitting in his office. And he was completely speechless. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but not a single tone left his mouth. Every goldfish would be envious of him. After a few minutes of absolute silence he finally was able to say something. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking!"

Ren had his most gentlemanly smile on his lips. "I'm certainly not joking. I mean it. Here's the confirmation of my flight!" He said with his most sugar coated voice and laid a paper on his desk. Not even bothering about the loud crash at his side he smiled at the President.

If Lory doubted what Ren said he was brought to his senses as Yashiro had fainted at Ren's side and hit the floor with a loud crash. The fact that Ren didn't seem too surprised about a fainting Yashiro made Lory realize that Ren was dead serious. "What do you think you're doing? Don't you know what a mess your actions will cause?"

"Yes, I know what I'm doing." Ren answered the rhetorical question. "Some would mean my absence would be the end of world." As the President only nodded he went on. "Maybe you'll acknowledge the fact that I'm not flying right away but rather in two weeks. That should give you and Yashiro," he glanced down at the unconscious body of his manager and went on, "enough time to settle things. I'm not going to back out of this. I waited way too long."

Lory pitied Yashiro. The man lay unconscious on the floor and Ren didn't even bother him. "You're giving me quite of a headache there, you know?" A deep sigh followed his words. Why were all his clients so difficult? But at least Ren was going to search for her. It had made him worried that Ren hadn't moved until now. But now it was time. "Okay, I'm going to rearrange some things. Hopefully Yashiro will be able to help me." He said and glanced again at the man who now stirred and began to wake up.

Yashiro didn't know what was going on. His head hurt and his vision blurred as he opened his eyes. It wasn't due to his bad sight he didn't see anything – he still had his glasses on – but there had to be another reason. He tried to clear his vision but it seemed impossible. He only could only make out two persons and he realized he had to lay on the floor since the other two were… giant? He groaned and tried to sit up but wasn't able to. He decided then to remain lying on the floor.

As his manager groaned Ren looked down. Maybe he should have helped him before but he had been too concentrated on the President. He kneeled down and looked at Yashiro, concern written in his eyes. "Yashiro-san? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Stop that shouting of yours!" Yashiro whispered and covered his ears with his hands. He wanted to believe he was dreaming but his ringing ears and his aching head told him he had just woken up to a nightmare. How he wished he would be in one of those fairy tales Kyoko liked so much! He thought about the story titles and remembered it. "Snow White and the seven Dwarves…" He mumbled not realizing he had spoken the words aloud.

Lory and Ren exchanged worried glances and then looked down at Yashiro again. "Yashiro-san! Are you sure you're alright? Maybe it's better to call the ambulance." Lory suggested and was on the edge of making an emergency call as Yashiro was able to sit himself up.

He really wanted to be dead but as the gods wanted he had to stay on living. "No need to call, I'm still alive and – still – not mad. But that might change in the next two weeks." He said sourly as he began to clean his glasses. Yes, he would ask the President for a salary increase. No human on earth could possible handle the crazy client of him. Expect him actually. He would want a salary increase to be able to pay the psychiatrist if Ren and Kyoko didn't get an item soon. He was seriously worried for his mental balance.

Lory raised one eyebrow. He would go insane in the next two weeks? He intended to change that. He smirked and smiled at Yashiro. Nobody would misunderstand this smile. "I'm going to prolong this time to four weeks. You're going to stick with him until both of you are back from the UK. Understood?"

Yashiro sweatdropped. He would really be dead by then. _Oh gods! What did I do to serve such a punishment? Please, Zeus – father of all the lightings! Save me and let me be turned to ashes by one of your lightnings! _He thought but Zeus didn't answer his prayer. Since he had lost his speech he could only nod in agreement. What other chances did he have? None.

Ren looked at the President skeptically and shrugged with his shoulders. Yashiro could be a great help. Two pairs of eyes usually see more than one pair alone. "Alright." He waited for the President to say something more but as he didn't say anything he left the room with a very unhappy Yashiro trailing behind him.

Ren stopped dead in track and turned around to Yashiro. Although his manager was above the average height of normal people, Ren had to look down on him. "What do you mean? I don't want to kill you. I'm not going to let you run away. You're the best manager!" H answered and added in his thoughts: _Although you can be tiring and annoying sometimes._

"Thanks, I'll forgive you. This time! But please, next time say sooner that you want do something outrageous stupid." He grumbled as he started to walk. He shoved his glasses back into place and put on his gloves – his mobile rang. "Yashiro speaking." The voice coming through the line made him cringe.

"Hello, Yashiro-san! I wanted to speak to Tsuruga-san but I don't have his number." Daishi Moe's voice was heard. Somehow the woman managed to go every single person on its nerves even if she only said two or three words. She didn't really recognize it though and this was the reason she had just called Ren's manager. She didn't know she wouldn't get Ren's phone number since he already told everyone on set not to pass on his number. She wanted to go with him for dinner this evening and maybe, just maybe one person of the media would spot them and take a photo.

"Good afternoon, Daishi-san. I'm sorry, but I'm not alloweOutside the door Yashiro was finally able to speak again. "You really, really, really want to kill me, don't you?" He asked Ren while he was pouting. His inner fan girl sat in a dark corner and cried.

d to give you his phone number." Yashiro answered politely and hoped the call would end after his explanation. He was proven wrong and began to feel uneasy as Ren's mood clouded.

"That's a pity. Is he with you?" Daishi didn't realize she was as sticky as honey. She really hoped to get Ren all to herself since that bitch of an actress was now out of the way.

Yashiro glanced at Ren who shook his head and knew what to answer. "No, I'm sorry. He's not available right now. Could I pass him a message?" He tried not to laugh as he saw Ren's pained and shocked expression. He violently shook his head and backed away from him, fear written in his dark brown eyes.

"Well, what other chances do I have? I wanted to ask him if he could help me getting a grasp on my character. I seem to be unable to do so." She was sure Ren would take her offer as soon as he heard it. Didn't the rumors say he 'trained' with that filthy young actress too?

"I'm going to tell him about your call as soon as I see him later." Needless to say Ren heard the dialog all along. He smirked and rolled his eyes, saying silently he would only meet her when hell freezes over. "Is there anything else I could do for you?" He asked and nearly bit his tongue at the question.

"No, thanks. That's all." Daishi said and ended the call without even saying good bye at all. She was angry! This stupid manager was going to destroy all her plans! First it was that useless girl and now him. She fumed but as there was no way to change things she started to think about new plans which would resolve in her having Ren.

Yashiro sighed as Daishi ended the call. He was thankful he hadn't to listen to her voice any longer. This woman was tiring every second you need to deal with her. She added to the madness he was going through right now.

Ren hated the woman momentary more than anything else on the whole world. She wanted him to be hers and she didn't mind the way how to get her will. The blackmailing she was trying to do went on his nerves. The call now was prove enough. But blackmailing could be done from either side and luckily he had the upper hand considering their different position. Whilst he was a top-actor and star known in whole Japan and probably international, she was only a small pry. She was only a rising starlet and yet she had a doubtful reputation. "I'm going to dig a little bit. Tomorrow I should have some dirty information ready to be delivered to the press and media." He smirked. This time she had definitely gone too far.

Yashiro nodded his head. He would have someone of a courier service delivering a brown envelope to the headquarters of _Tokyo Times_ and _Tokyo daily._ The Boulevard magazines would get the information out of those two news papers. It was going to be a fun day tomorrow. He only frowned as he thought of the President. Lory Takarada would definitely not be fond of their actions.

"Great, I'm hungry." Ren said and laughed at the wicked situation. "What do you want to eat? I'm treating you."

His manager only stared. When was client ever hungry and when did he say voluntarily he wanted to eat? "Ren, is everything okay?" Concern was heard in his tune.

"Couldn't be better." Ren answered with a big grin. He was happy. In two weeks he would fly to London to search for his sweetheart and tomorrow Daishi Moe would get a trashing. His day was indeed going well. Additionally he had frightened his manager until he fainted – his dark side really had enjoyed the sight.

"If that's so, why aren't we going to the Italian restaurant two blocks away? I always wanted to try out Lasagna." Yashiro knew that Ren had expected him to back out of his offer but he wanted pay-back on him for letting him lie unconscious on the floor without even thinking of helping him.

Ren groaned although he had predicted this. Aside of Yashiro having an inner fan girl he was being quite a sadist actually. He knew he would have to pay for earlier. Picking out a restaurant which served foreign food was one thing. Deciding on the restaurant on being a family restaurant too was the second thing. Giving up – he decided it was the best thing to do and save himself from more sadistic attacks – he agreed.

They decided to walk there instead of taking the car. They ate and enjoyed their meal, the food was actually excellent and the service was decent. They didn't bug them asking for autographs or photos. A lot of time was spent on forging out plans what information considering Daishi they would hand to the press. As most of the information was taboo for the underage they decided to give them only information on a few minor incidents. After both of them had finished they paid and left in high spirits as they looked forward for the next weeks. Ren dropped Yashiro off at his apartment as usual and drove home where he started to write another letter to his beloved Kyoko. _Soon I'm going to get you back, my love!_ This where his last thoughts before he slipped away to sleep.

* * *

To say times got pretty frantic for Kyoko would be an understatement. She now lived with Jelly, Aki, Matt, Rachel and mostly Sora under the same roof. She had claimed to do all the cooking by her since neither Jelly nor Matt had any talent to do so. The tasty meal he had conjured last time was something Ran had brought over. She started training with Aki again since he was going to appear in **Scarlet Rose** pretty often. Jelly had told her about the invitation to the ball of the Princess Royal which had send her – as predicted – into Lala-land until Jelly cut the magic. But first she had to worry about the current shooting before she could worry about any other problems.

"You there, the second girl! Once again! You're not delivering the right feeling!" The director of the commercial called. They were shooting a commercial for a perfume called **Un Rêve**. The other girl wasn't displaying the correct feelings and they did the scenes for umpteenths time. If they didn't proceed with the filming any further she would be either late or they had to postpone the filming. She was getting queasier with every passing minute. She sat there in the ice cold weather only wearing a skin-colored bodice and a snow white scarf made of silk. It was freezing and Shizuka cursed the director again for being so stubborn that he wanted to film the commercial outside, in fact it had minus seven degrees Celsius. She listened to the conversation and sighed happily as the director gave up and told them to come again tomorrow. She quickly changed and as she got outside she wore one of her by now famous outfits. As she went to her car, she saw a girl running away from some guys who chased her. Deciding to be human for once she stepped in between and brought down one of the guys. The other on could even react as she kicked him hard into his stomach. The car was already unlocked and she shoved the delicate girl into the Aston Martin.

After a few minutes driving Kyoko finally looked at the girl. "Are you okay?" She asked since the girl was panting really hard. The girl wore simple jeans, leather boots, and a white and warm trench-coat. If she had known who was sitting beside her she would have stopped immediately.

Eleanor Adelaide Sophia Catherine had been more than surprised as she was forced to get into the car earlier. It was true that she had wanted to escape her bodyguards but she hadn't thought of the possibility of help. At first she thought she was being kidnapped but now she was reassured. A kidnapper wouldn't ask his hostage if it was okay, would he? "Thanks, I'm fine. I appreciate your help but you could drop me off now." She said and looked at Shizuka. Immediately she recognized her favorite actress. "Your Shizuka White! I'm honored to meet you!" As she said the words a big grin appeared on her face.

"It's my pleasure. Actually I thought about not helping you but I decided to be generous today." An evil grin confirmed Kyoko's words. She wasn't called the Red Dragon for nothing. She grimaced as she thought of Jelly scolding her later for her actions but now she enjoyed the fast drive. "By the way, who're you?" Kyoko asked the girl as she drove the car to her house. Since the filming location wasn't far away from her home they were soon going to reach it.

"I'm Eleanor." The Princess Royal answered and didn't want to reveal her true identity to the girl next to her. Shizuka hadn't recognized her yet and she liked the idea of the anonymity. She assumed that her lie was soon enough to be discovered. Practically, she wasn't lying, she only held back some information. She smirked.

Kyoko raised one eyebrow. "Eleanor without a last name? That's going to be interesting. You tempt me." She bowed over to the passenger's seat. "You're going to be fun to play with, little kitten." Kyoko smiled the beautiful smile of Natsu she let out unintentionally. The second she noticed she knocked her down a peg. "I'm sorry, one of my characters wanted to play." A grin forced his way to her lips. "Get out. We're in front of my house."

Eleanor got out of the car and eyed the house with interest. She never had really been in a normal house in her whole lifetime, only in palaces or mansions. Although Kyoko's home wasn't a normal one either Eleanor thought it was. "Wow!" The words of her mouth were out before she even noticed it. Only Shizuka's risen eyebrow reminded her to play the normal girl who was chased by some men. But somehow it wasn't working since she hadn't any experience at it. "I'm mean, I'm a total stranger to you but you're going to allow me to invade your home."

"Why not? It's not like you can't do anything to me since my 'guard cat' is watching this house. In addition you're not looking like you've got any experience in martial arts. If you're doing something I don't want you to do, you'll pretty much end up lying on the floor and begging for forgiveness." Kyoko made clear that Eleanor had to exactly what she said or it would be bad for her. The shocked expression of the young girl had shown her that Eleanor wasn't going to do anything. "Good, come in. It's freezing." She unlocked the door and opened it. "Anyone home?" Her loud voice seemed to shaken the house. Since she got no answer she suspected no one was home since her voice had possibly been heard in every nook and cranny.

Eleanor followed her into the house and was glancing around curiously. She had thought a normal house would be much more different than a mansion but it was just smaller. She put off her shoes as Shizuka did too and put on slippers. She hurried inside the leaving room after she heard Shizuka's words:" Come on, don't be shy! Aki's in his cage and won't neither bite nor eat you!"

Kyoko peeked out of the kitchen as her visitor hurriedly walked into the living room. She chuckled as she saw the worried and insecure glances Eleanor threw around. "Don't be afraid. I was only kidding. Aki is really in his cage and he has perfect manners. Only if you have the intention to harm me he'll get… uncomfortable." She said and turned around to the stove. The water was already starting to cook. "Do you prefer tea or do you want something other? Hot chocolate or coffee?"

Eleanor looked at the label of the tea and her eyes narrowed. The lose tea leaves were packed in a little bag. "What kind of tea is this?" She asked. Normally she would drink black tea, like Earl Grey or Assam Blend. The typical English tea but in a better quality than the commons could afford.

Kyoko grinned and started to explain. "This is a spiced tea and it's called Chai. This one is based on black tea leaves. In addition there spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon or dried orange zest. I like to drink Chai in the winter because it sorts of warm you from the inside. If you want to add sugar you should use brown sugar. It brings forth the tea's character." Then she pointed a finger at a shelf. "Over there are other types of tea if you want." Kyoko was proud of her tea collection and she never missed a time to show it off.

Eleanor shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm going to stick with your choice." She smiled happily. Shizuka hadn't recognized her yet and asked her if she wanted something other than her not for her being the Princess Royal but she was a real person to her. "It's tempting me to try something new." She heard the front door open and flinched. Thankfully Shizuka was preparing the tea set and spent no attention her.

"Girls!" Kyoko's voice stopped the running steps in the living room. "First you go upstairs, change your clothes, put away your school bags – I'm not saying throw it into any corner – and wash your hands. When you're finished you can come back down. Understood?" She was happy to hear both say "Hai" before they trampled up the stairs. "By the way, Eleanor: I'm going to call you Lea. Eleanor is too long." She explained and got hold of the tray she was going to carry into the living room.

"Those two girls weren't your sisters, weren't they?" Eleanor asked but hoped they were. There could have been the slight possibility they wouldn't recognize her. But the information found on the internet said Shizuka White hadn't any siblings at all. She helped setting the table and soon inhaled the sweet and strong scent of the Chai. She took a sip and decided to add one tea spoon of brown sugar.

"No, they're not. One of them is Sora, she's the niece of my manager. And the second is the little sister of my friend who both are staying currently with me since they lost their home due to a fire. But I think of them as sisters." She answered and one of her rarely seen honest smiles crossed her lips. At the very least this smile wasn't seen very often in public but was reserved for the people she loved.

"You don't show this smile very often in public." Eleanor commented. Then, she started a sentence but wasn't able to finish. She wanted to explain Shizuka who she really was as the front door opened again and a handsome guy came in.

* * *

Matt was happy to be at home. Today had been a very stressful day for him. First he had been late due to the fact he had overslept. After a fast and nearly not existing breakfast he had brought Sora and Rachel to school. Unluckily he had found no parking spot around the school and was late to class. His professor wasn't pleased and punished him with an oral exam. Then there had been the two scheduled written exams. And as if he was cursed the day continued to be as hectic as it started. Now he was at home and he wanted to relax a little. But in the end he only was able to say: "I'm home! Shizuka, how was y…" before he lost his voice. The sight of Shizuka's guest had made him speechless.

Kyoko watched Matt as he turned pale as a ghost and his mouth fell open. He tried effortlessly to close it but couldn't. _What's wrong with him?_ He would have made every goldfish envy of him. She watched in amusement as he tried to stammer a few words but wasn't able to. Then she followed his glance and wondered why he was so shocked by her guest and noticed Eleanor was nearly as pale as her friend.

Eleanor wished she could vanish into the air. Or hoped for a hole to open under her feet as in **Alice's Adventures in Wonderland**. But the gods wasn't pleased with her and she continued sitting on the couch as stiff as a shocked deer caught in the lights. This was the worst what could have possible happen: To be recognized the second another person stepped into the house. Both she and Matt were to frightened to speak but thankfully Shizuka didn't know what was going on and broke the spell.

Kyoko coughed. "Guys?" She stared concerned from one to the other. "What's going on? If I'm missing the joke, could you tell please?"

Matt had gained some self control and after a few, deep breaths he was able to speak. And what he said let Shizuka fall backwards onto the floor – thankfully she had put her almost full tea glass down beforehand. "I'm really sorry for disturbing your chat, your Royal Highness. Shall I leave now?" He asked with a slight bow.

While Eleanor answered him, her face red as a tomato, Kyoko lay dumbfounded on the ground. She replayed the happenings again and concluded she had literarily kidnapped the Princess Royal. She was already on the floor and wanted to go into a dogeza but stopped herself. _I mustn't let out Kyoko now!_ Shizuka's personality screamed and asked Natsu for help. Natsu was, as always, eager to come out. "Hush. It would really have been nice to play with you, my little kitten." Her blazing smile startled every one and frightened both Eleanor and Matt.

Matt was the first to react. "Oi, Shizu! Snap out!" He wasn't far away from shouting as Shizuka came back. And with her Kyoko. He sighed with relieve as he saw the usual smirk return to Shizuka's lips. "Thanks, buddy. But I haven't allowed you to call me Shizu, have I?"

Eleanor was watching in amazement. "What on earth was that? Or better, who was that?" She asked excitedly. Now she knew for sure that there was more mystery around her idol as every one thought. "By the way, that you know my full name, although you don't need to memorize it, is Eleanor Adelaide Sophia Catherine, House of Clairfontaine. In fact, I would appreciate it if you'll both call me Eleanor or Lea. Forget about the rest, I'm only a normal girl." She added and smiled.

Matt and Kyoko nodded, whereby Matt didn't know whether to take the princess by her word or not. Kyoko sighed and smiled. She had the feeling it was going to be a long afternoon. She started to explain while Matt got himself a tea glass. "Well, you see, I'm a method actress…"

The afternoon was really long and Kyoko had chosen to say the truth about who she really was, which didn't only surprise the princess. After an hour Eleanor came to Shizuka's or Kyoko's house she had called at the palace and said she would be back later. She even told them where she was and only fifteen minutes after the house was surrounded by bodyguards which bothered neither of the residents. They would spent a good time till Jelly would come back.

* * *

Hello again! (After a really long time)

As you can imagine, I'm awfully sorry for not posting this chapter for such a long time. I know I should have updated sooner but I had to do some other minor (or major) things to do, including exams and a ton of paperwork. And to shorten my time more I had to work at my summer job as a waitress right after my exams. I ran around up to fifteen hours a day and was on the edge of death every evening I went home. The only day I had off every week I spent sleeping like a dead corpse – I really should have kept written the story… *lol*

But anyway, I hope you'll like this chapter too – I added some extra 'torture Yashiro' – and as ever: one review and I'll start writing the next chapter. After all, I have holidays ;)

For all who want to know this: I'm currently writing the first chapter for my crossover fanfic staring **Kaleido Star** and **Skip Beat!** It'll be released in a few days under the name: Simply two Stars. If anyone wants to read it then, you're free to read and if not, then don't

And now finally coming to the end and the P.S. is dedicated to **.Lou**: I hope you liked that chapter and I apologize for not reviewing on your story since I had nearly the time to read it. As you can read above, I'm going to write the crossover fanfic and hope you'll like this one too!


	14. The Ball

**Forever More**

**14. Chapter:** The Ball

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Kyoko wasn't happy that she had had to tell the Princess Royal all her secrets including her fake personality but it was better this way. Not going to tell anyone out of the Royal Family would bring along some unpleasant investigations of her persona as well as Jelly's. So she finally told Eleanor and Matt who she really was and asked them to keep it a secret from everyone else. It had worked. Now she stood in Eleanor's room at the Buckingham Palace and watched her friend as she eyed her dress.

"Wow, it really looks… elegant?" Kyoko asked and eyed the gown as well. She herself admired the dress but she had adopted some points of Shizuka's personality and was skeptically about the gown. She herself was perfectly satisfied with her dress. It was a stunning and absolute unusual corsage gown. The corsage was made of red tartan with black and white stripes. The overskirt was made of the same red tartan as the corsage and the cloth was sewn into frills and fell at the back full length to the floor. At the front the overskirt ended shortly over the knees and at the sides slantingly seceding towards the floor. At the front the full-length underskirt made of black silk and overloaded with frills was seen under the overskirt. The black high heels with black leather straps up to the ankles weren't going to be seen but were as stunning as the dress itself.

Eleanor eyed the dress warily and she was sure she didn't want to wear it tonight. They had only a few hours left before the ball was going to start. The dress was in her and Kyoko's eyes just lifeless. The pale pink silk dress was simple and wasn't an eyecatcher at all. "I really don't want to wear this. This is more a nightie than a ball gown." She sighed. She was better going to start to change. Otherwise the hair dresser and make-up artist would go crazy.

Kyoko grinned evilly. "I'm glad you said you didn't want to wear this thing. Just wait a minute." She got to the second garment bag a servant had delivered just a view minutes ago. She fumbled with the zipper of the bag and finally extracted the evening gown she had asked the designer to 'lend' it to her for one day. She had assured the woman if the dress was worn it would be bought too. The woman knew Shizuka and trusted her. So it came that Kyoko had the perfect dress for Eleanor. "Look at that!"

Eleanor wasn't expecting anything and was shocked speechless as she saw the dress. The bodice was made of pale pink silk which was wrapped with layers of organza in the same color as the silk. The skirt had some big frills made out of organza and the silk layer underneath in it and a middle length train. Although it was decorated with frills, it wasn't overloaded with them. The whole dress was decorated with rhinestones and the dress was sparkling in the light. The cleavage was decorated with a flounce. The dress only had one strap and it was made out of a few layers of flounce. First Kyoko wanted a more colorful dress but this would be inappropriate for a princess. This dress would fit her well. "How did you get your hands on this?!"

"Try it on. I bet it would fit you better than this nightie there." She helped Eleanor to put on the dress. It was better and more eye-catching than the other one. "You're going to be a real stunner!" It was good that Jelly would come instead of the usual make-up artists and hair dressers.

"That's just perfect. But I can't wear this. Mom and Dad wouldn't be happy about it." The family bonds of the Royal family were tight and they all loved each other. In the one week the two girls new each other Kyoko had realized this. She hadn't met any other member of the Royal Family so it would be really an official introduction tonight. Eleanor was constantly in fear she would do something to annoy her parents. And she showed it.

"Nope, you're going to wear this one." There was a knock on the door and a servant announced the arrival of Jelly. Kyoko answered the door and let Jelly in. "Hey, Jelly! Good you're here. She's just ready!" She said and pointed at Eleanor.

Jelly entered the room and nodded affirmatively. The slender and tall girl made quite a picture in the dress. The golden hair fell down to her waist as her hairdo wasn't done yet. The porcelain skin glowed in the dim light and her lavender eyes sparkled with excitement. "That fits way better than the other one." She smiled. "I'm going to do your make up and hairdo. Kyoko, afterwards I'm going to help you with your dress and everything."

Two hours passed and they were almost ready. Eleanor put on her diamond earrings which fell from her ears like waterfalls. They were made of small white diamonds and a few bigger ones with rose color. She wore a fitting bracelet, ring and necklace. Again a knock was heard and without waiting for an invitation a person entered the room. She was shocked as she saw her older brother staring at her with awe.

"Sis, you're not wearing the dress you're supposed to." Her brother Richard said but couldn't tear his eyes away from her. His little sister looked indeed stunning, not to mention the dress was the best choice she could have made. He didn't know where she got it from but was stunned speechless as Eleanor's new friend came out of the bathroom. The beauty was looking dangerously sexy. She laughed and didn't even see him. "Lea? Who's that?" He asked.

Eleanor looked up and was captivated by Kyoko's looks. The actress was wearing the dress which totally fitted her style and she looked deadly sexy and gorgeous. The red tartan wasn't biting her red hair. Jelly hadn't opened the small braids and cornrows but she had done a miracle. A pinned updo with all of the braids included and decorated with black and red lace flowers and feathers left part of her shoulders bare. A choker made out off hundreds of black rhinestones accentuated the almost white skin of hers. She wore black lace gloves which didn't cover her fingertips and went up to her elbows. The make-up let her green eyes glow and her lips were bright red. Unlike Eleanor who wore a silk scarf Kyoko renounced to wear one. Eleanor knew in an instant that Kyoko would be the most mysterious girl at the ball this evening. "You look absolutely stunning!"

Kyoko smiled. She didn't need the help of Shizuka to survive the evening since she already merged her 'Kyoko personality' with her 'Shizuka personality'. She wouldn't be the old timid and frightened Kyoko anymore. But she decided that Natsu – since her alter ego wanted to have some fun too – would be part of her for this evening. "Thanks, little kitten!" She grinned and went to Eleanor. "But don't think to steal away all your attention." Then her gaze fell on the unknown man. _He should be in his twenties. He may be fun to play with… Why don't I have some fun this evening? _Since the grin didn't left her face it turned into a smirk. "And who are you?" Kyoko wasn't stupid and the family resemblance was too clear to not recognize the brother of the Princess Royal.

Richard was too surprised to even be able to open his mouth. He could only stare. Only when his sister nudged him with her elbow he regained his words. "I'm Richard, Lea's older brother. Nice to meet you, Ms. White." After his words he realized he said her name loud which wasn't what he had intended to say. "I hope you're going to enjoy the 'Winter Ball'."

Jelly watched the conversation and as silent as a servant she left the room. At the door she waved goodbye to Kyoko and Eleanor. Other than the two girls the young man didn't noticed the woman leaving at all. Jelly chuckled as she followed a silent servant to the employees' entrance. This young man was going to be another admirer for Shizuka. She wished him luck although she knew only Ren was able to steal her young friend's heart.

Kyoko nodded as Jelly took her leave. Then she turned to Richard and answered him. "Nice to meet you. I intend to enjoy the ball to the fullest." She offered him his hand. She glanced at Eleanor with a small smile on her lips and saw her questioning expression. She understood and shook her head, saying silently she wasn't interested in Richard romantically. She had difficulties to hold her laughter back as she saw Eleanor pouting. A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. "Yes, enter please." She said with naturalness.

A maidservant opened the door. She curtsied and spoke with trembling voice. "Beg my pardon for interrupting. Her Royal Highness, His Majesty wanted you and your friend to attend the reception. As well as His Highness Richard." She said, curtsied and left the room as fast as she came.

Richard nodded as the maid left the room. He intended to offer Shizuka his company but the actress already went arm in arm with his sister. He sighed and followed the two of them not thinking what he may be looking like. He looked like a young puppy following his master and almost begging for his attention. He didn't want to interrupt the light conversation since his sister looked so happy. He himself thought that his sister has too little friends she could trust. But he was a little bit jealous that his sister was monopolizing the young actress. He wanted to talk with her too!

Eleanor was happy to chat with her friend and soon the small talk was over as they stood in front of the doors opening to the grand ball room. Yet the ball room was still empty and the arrival of the guest wouldn't start in the next thirty minutes. The rest of the Royal family, the prime minister and his secretary, the chef de cuisine and some servants were waiting for Her Royal Highness and His Royal Highness.

The first shock was that the Princess Royal wasn't wearing the dress she was supposed to. They were stunned speechless and the Queen had to admit this dress fitted her daughter way better than the dress she had chosen for her to wear. The second one was that Her Royal Highness wasn't alone but accompanied by a very sexy and dangerously looking woman. And the third shock was that His Royal Highness, her son, was following this woman around like a puppy. She had to hit her grin behind her ice blue lace fan. Her Husband hadn't noticed the three young people but was discussing something with the prime minister. She rose from her chair and approached the three.

Eleanor curtsied and Richard bowed slightly. "Mother." They both said in unison. "You look as stunningly beautiful as always." Eleanor added. Her mother Arabella, Queen of the UK, wore an ice blue robe. It was fitting her well and showed off the slender and tall woman with grayish blue eyes and golden hair.

"You yourself look like a fairy princess." Arabella said to her daughter while letting her eyes wander over her daughters figure. "I have to admit this dress fits you better than the one I originally ordered. I guess I have to thank you for that, Ms. White." She addressed the redhead.

Kyoko bowed deeply since she was Japanese. "You don't have to", she answered as she stood up straight again. "It was my pleasure to help your daughter, your Majesty." A cocky grin appeared on her lips as she fought a silence duel with the queen in front of her. She saw how the woman nodded slightly in respect and then turned around.

"My, my. I nearly forgot my manners. Please follow me, Ms. White. I'm going to introduce you to my husband." She turned around and approached her husband who was – up to now – intensely discussing some politics with the prime minister.

As Arabella interrupted their discussion both man turned around with the intention to tell her to wait a few more minutes. Both men where then gasping for air and where left gaping at the young woman besides Arabella. Literately they were shocked. The King, going by the name Thomas William and being called Sir Thomas informally, nearly couldn't believe a young woman could look so deadly sexy and stunning. He sucked for air and steadied his heartbeat. Obviously his prime minister wasn't ready to greet the girl yet so he started.

"Welcome at my humble home, Ms. White." He said and bowed. He was surprised as the girl did too and came to the conclusion, she was polite if she needed to be. "I heard quite a few things about you. Kidnapping my daughter by mistake to rescue her from her bodyguard, threatening her, and if that wasn't enough, befriend her." A wide grin formed on his face. "Girl, I really like you!" He said and slapped her on the shoulder. "Call me Sir Thomas."

If Kyoko hadn't been Shizuka the last months and if she hadn't adopted some of her characteristics she would have surely freaked out completely. She would have turned into jelly and would have been babbling about random things. But she kept her character in place and thankfully she didn't even flinch as Sir Thomas slept her on the shoulder. Damian always slapped really heard. "Thanks for your humble words, Sir Thomas. I appreciate them." This was her answer and she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Everyone present was stunned at how well the young redhead and Sir Thomas were getting along. It was known that he was sociable man but only to those who knew him well. But him interacting with the young actress so closely was… unusual. The prime minister didn't know how to react but it was too late anyways. The majordomos entered the hall and announced that the first guests had arrived and would be soon here.

Sir Thomas glanced sideways to Shizuka and grinned. "Reserve me a dance, young lady." Then he took his place besides his wife and his children. The first ones to enter before the first could enter were the Crown Prince Edmund and his fiancée Simone deWitt, a famous screenwriter. Both of them greeted the Royal Family. As soon as Simone saw Shizuka she approached the actress. Both women had already met in Laura's office discussing a film project in which Shizuka eventually will take a role.

"Hey, Shizuka! I didn't know you were Lea's new friend. It's nice to see you again. Have you thought about my offer?" Simone was happy to see one familiar face who wasn't afraid to tell the truth and some times in a pretty harsh way. In addition, wasn't scared of anything, a troublemaker and sometimes unfriendly. She had instantly liked the girl the first time she saw her.

Kyoko was slightly surprised to see Simone here. There weren't any rumors about her being the fiancée of the Crown Prince. "What a surprise to see you here, Simone! Guess, we're going to see each other more often now. But, I have to disappoint you." She waited and saw Simone's face fell. "It's time to have fun and not to discuss business, isn't it?" She hugged the woman and immediately Simone's face lightened up.

Well, the Royal Family was surprised too. They hadn't known Simone and Shizuka knew each other. Soon, Edmund came to get his woman since the guests started arriving. The ball room doors were to be opened every second. The Royal family stood in a line, the first one naturally Sir Thomas and his wife Arabella, then the Crown Prince Edmund and his fiancée Simone deWitt and next to them His Royal Highness Richard. Eleanor was the last in line with Kyoko standing slightly behind her. Then the guests entered the ridiculously large ball room of the Buckingham Palace. After all guests would be here, some of the other rooms would be opened too. As each and every guest greeted the Royal Family, Eleanor and Kyoko had to hold back some giggles. They were whispering together unbeknownst to the guests and the Royal Family. After one and a half hours most of the guests had arrived and the majordomos signaled the orchestra on the balcony to play. The ball was opened by the King and Queen dancing a waltz. Simone and Edmund joined them and soon other pairs entered the floor. Before Richard could ask Shizuka to dance with him, she and Eleanor were dancing.

"Thank god you had the idea to dance with me!" Eleanor said as she was guided through the ball room by Shizuka. "Heaven knows what the beau earlier wanted from me." Both giggled. Eleanor had to admit that Kyoko was a perfect dancer. As she was lead through the dance by her friend they never collided with any other pair. Also Shizuka avoided unnoticeable every other young man who wanted to dance with Eleanor. Unfortunately they were caught by Richard.

Richard took over Shizuka and one of his noble friend waltzed away with his sister. "Clever, clever." Shizuka murmured as she was whirled around the ball room. "You're a good dancer, Royal Highness." She complimented him. Nearly everyone was watching them now. His Royal Highness was known to be difficulty when it comes to woman. On balls he was hardly seen dancing with girls. Most of the time he only talked with them and was making chokes with the male company. To see him dancing know was, well, unusual. And soon, rumors would start to spread.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Shizuka asked him silently. She knew how rumors developed and what they could do.

Her question only made him laugh silently. "You know, it's hard to resist your charm, my little kitten!" He didn't know he challenged her with that sentence. He felt a sharp pain in his left foot. "You little…" He couldn't finish this sentence due to the same sharp pain in his right foot. He glared at her.

Shizuka's lips formed an evil smile. "Well, my little sweet princess-bean. Your little kitten has claws. Maybe you should remember this." With this world she stepped back and he landed in the arms of a rather unattractive young countess. As he tried to shoot her with his looks she could only giggle in amusement. _If looks could kill... _the actress thought and searched for Eleanor. But then the Crown Prince asked her to dance with her. She danced with him one round and found herself in the arms of Sir Thomas afterwards.

"Now, you have fire in your heart, show it!" To the amusement of everyone present the unusual pair danced an uptempo jive. They earned great applause. After that, Kyoko and Eleanor vanished to the bathroom. They were chatting happily together and one or two comments on the other guests, including all nobles and particularly the boys fell. They shut up as they came out of the toilets.

Richard stood there leaning on the wall with a serious frown on his face. "I need to talk with you." His eyes were locked on Shizuka. "You surely know that rumors will be spreading, right? I only wanted to ask if it was okay with you. Since Lea told me you already have a sweetheart." In his eyes and heart was a turmoil and he surely wanted to kick the ass of the man who let Shizuka get away. But he respected her feelings.

Kyoko looked at her friend who turned into dark shades of red. As Kyoko saw the reaction she sighed. "It's okay. Anyway, there wouldn't be a way to stop the rumors, so… Beat it!" She laughed. The thought photos of her and Richard could appear in the press didn't occur to her. "Stop to make gloomy faces! I'm going back to the ball room since you are no fun at all." She pouted and turned around. She was down the gallery and in the ball room before the two of them could stop her. With the silence of an oncoming speech in the air she made her grand entrance – unintentionally naturally. All the eyes shifted to her person. She nearly scratched her had. "Sir Thomas? Weren't you going to say something?"

Sir Thomas wanted to speak up but – as unfortunate as he were this evening – Richard fell literally through the door, followed close by his sister. They were lying crumbled in front of Shizuka.

"Richard, you really haven't to get down on your knees to ask for a dance." The joke made every on relax. Shizuka nodded at the maestro who understood. To overplay the misfortune they dance a rather intense foxtrot. After that, everyone had forgotten the speech of Sir Thomas. He for himself had forgotten what to say. He and his wife looked into each others eyes and the both knew the answer both of them had had the whole evening. Their son was head over heels into the young actress.

Sir Thomas stood up and declared:" Enjoy the rest of the ball and have fun!" Everyone took this to their hearts and enjoyed themselves. Especially his children, Shizuka and Simone had a lot of fun. Arabella was only going to think what would happen after the ball. Several young men were quite interested in her daughter and the mysterious young redhead since only a few recognized the rising starlet. Thankfully Shizuka aka Kyoko protected Eleanor from too exciting and slimy nobles. As for Shizuka, the girl didn't even talk to the ones she didn't want to. If she ended up dancing with them anyhow, the misfortunate young man ended up with blue toes none the less. All in all it was a wonderful evening and an unforgettable ball.

In the next few days the ball was the hot topic in the UK and on most part of the world. Jelly and Laura had been worried about Kyoko being found out or not. Thankfully she wasn't. Ren's disinterest on magazines played into their hand. Yashiro and Lory were too bothered with readjusting Ren's schedule due to his travel to London. Kanae was overloaded with work and therefore too busy to read those magazines. Chiori would be on an on-location shoot and had the same reason to not read the magazines as Kanae had.

* * *

Ren was waiting for Yashiro to arrive on the set and his mind was absent as Daishi Moe finally decided it was time for him to realize she was the best woman for him. It was an open set and one reporter had snuck in. Daishi had seen him in the corner of her eyes and within the blink of an eye she had kissed Ren. The reporter had reacted in the split of a second and made photos of the pair. He didn't press his luck and as soon Daishi let go of her prey he vanished.

To say Ren was surprised was an understatement. He was furious that she had done that. Since he had closed his eyes he didn't see the reporter. As soon as he had pushed the plague of a woman away from him his eyes became slits. He grabbed the woman's wrist violently and shoved her out of the studio. In the hallway he leaned towards her and pressed her up the wall. He couldn't restrain Kuon much longer. One hand gripped her neck. "It would seem I haven't make myself clear earlier. I don't want to have anything to do with you. You're a nuisance, a great failure as an actress and an even more disappointing woman. You think you could level yourself with Mogami-san?" He gripped her neck harder, carefully not to leave any marks and evidence behind. "You're mistaken. If you want to survive this you better behave yourself from this minute." An evil grin appeared on his lips. His eyes were cold as ice and inside him bloodlust was boiling. "By the way, you better do not talk to anyone what happened between us. First, nobody will believe you and second, maybe I'm going to make this threat true." With those words he let her go. It didn't matter to him that she crumbled on the floor and chocked violently. As soon as the first staff members approached them he was all smiles again. He only claimed he wouldn't do no more filming today with Daishi-san since she wasn't feeling well.

All of the staff believed him since Daishi was busy choking. The director gave the two of them the day off. Ren grinned evilly as the director suggested he should drive the annoying actress home.

Daishi was shocked and refused wildly since she didn't want to be alone with that man again. Besides his gentlemanly attitude she had seen until now, she came to know the dark side of Ren. Which could be pretty scary as she had realized. Not wanting to repeat the disaster a few minutes ago she only said thanks and called a taxi since her manager was ill. As soon as possible she was out of the men's sight and out of the building.

The director only looked questionably at Ren. "Do you know what had gotten into her?" He asked with raised eyebrows. The pale face of his female lead was as unusual as snow to Christmas in South America.

Ren shrugged. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he was glad that Kuon came out. Ren hadn't known how to put the pushy woman in her place again after doing it so many times. _I only hope Kyoko isn't going to see the photos. _He sighed. "Director, since the female lead is off I'm going to take my leave." He said and bowed slightly to his opponent. Then he strolled down the hallway. At the entrance he met Yashiro who had a smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes. _Hopefully he hasn't seen Daishi Moe rushing out the door as if the devil himself was after her. _

Unfortunately not. As Yashiro had wanted to open the front doors he nearly was knocked out as the door was pushed open with such an impact, he had only time to jump backwards. Puzzled he watched the actress running out the building and – what was more surprisingly – she didn't even say one word to him or glanced at him. He could only guess it was somehow connected to Ren. And as he saw his client strolling relatively calm down the hallways and into the entrance hall with a smug grin on his face he was sure. "Ren? What have you done to her? She looked like the devil himself was after her…"

A deep sigh escaped Ren. He should have known that his manager was hawk-eyed. "Today isn't my lucky day, isn't it?" He mumbled more to himself than to Yashiro. "Well… she forced me to kiss her. That's all." He summed up the incident not wanting to talk about his switch in personalities.

Yashiro's mouth fell open. He only could stutter and wasn't able to say one normal word. This pushy woman had dared to challenge Ren? Then he knew why she was running out the door so hastily. "Hopefully no person took a photo of you. If someone did, we're eventually going to be in trouble." He deeply sighed. First, he had to rearrange his client's schedule and now there might develop a scandal. The second wasn't the best thing if he wanted to win Kyoko back. "Anyways, we're going to have to tell the President. You know, rumors would start to spread and he's the only one to try to stop them. He won't be happy though."

Ren nodded his head in agreement. Something tickled in the corner of his mind but as soon as he tried to grab it, it was unfortunately out of his reach. "Let's get something to eat. Out of two it's the smaller evil." He sighed at the thought of food. But he did not wanted to get lectured about his diet again. Maria had undertaken this task since Kyoko vanished. Sometimes she was scarier than her older sister.

Speaking of the devil she came around the corner followed by the flamboyant Lory. Today he was wearing a pirates costume complete with a saber. Nobody wanted to actually know if it was real – in his case it could be well so. The parrot on his shoulder could actually talk and freaked out some visitors. The employees noticed the President but did their work, they were used by his antics by now since most of the workers were working at LME for years.

As suspected Maria squealed when she saw her crush. She ran and was being caught by him. After Ren had put her down on the floor again she bowed to Yashiro. She wanted to speak but was interrupted by her grandfather.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you at the set, Ren?" Lory asked and his brows furrowed as he saw the change in mood in Ren's eyes. _Interesting! Kuon is unnaturally near under Ren's surface right now. What could have caused him to crawl out?_ He believed it was better not to ask boldly, he wasn't into a fight with Kuon right now.

"An unimportant issue came up." The mood darkened at those words. Lory and Yashiro flinched, Maria was worried.

"What issue?" The girl babbled. She didn't saw the eyes of her crush turn hard and cold. Otherwise she would have been threatened to live to see the friendly man turn into a somewhat cold beast.

Lory flinched inwardly. This wasn't something to take lightly. There were only a few things what would bring Kuon on the surface. And the were all quite unpleasant things. "Better we discuss this in my office…" He murmured and got a nod of agreement from Ren. Now the only problem was left to get rid of Maria and Yashiro for a little while. "Yashiro-san, I trust you to look after my granddaughter until my and Ren are back." With that he shoved the surprised little girl into the more surprised man's arm and was on the way to his office.

A growling Ren followed behind. He didn't really want to think what would happen in the President's office. But he also knew he had to have to take his anger out on something. The perfect opportunity.

Lory closed the door behind him and went to his desk. "Sit!" He ordered and wasn't surprised Ren didn't follow his orders. _Now it comes…_

"Why on earth should I follow your orders?" Kuon spat out. He didn't intend to let himself be bossed around.

"Because you have the last few years and I don't want to deal with the shit you are right now. I want you to restrain yourself so we could reduce the damage on whatever had happened. Additionally, I'm sure Mogami-san wouldn't be happy with the way you're acting right now." Hoping the last words were going to help Ren composing himself he waited for his reaction.

Ren sighed and composed himself. It wasn't doing him any good that he was here fighting with Lory and not searching for a solution for this particularly problem. "You're right." With this he sat down and continued. "You see…" and he started his disastrous report.

* * *

After a long time: Hello! And keep up any good spirit you have and if you want to share it with me… I could really need it… (I'm being desperate, am I? But with tomorrows exam in mind how couldn't I?)

Guys, I'm really sorry I didn't update so long. Two reasons: First, my former laptop died. It took some time to replace it. Second, I rewrote this chapter about three or for times and I'm not quiet satisfied yet but this was the best rewriting I managed. (Believe me, the first time I wrote this chapter it was nothing but crap.)

If anyone wants to see the pictures of the dresses Kyoko and Eleanor are wearing, say it in the reviews. I'll post the links for them in the following chapter. And: please review on this chapter. I really need it this time! I predict it will be mostly negative reviews but, oh well… I'm going to deal with anything!

The P.S. is dedicated to **GinGitsuneIX**: I really tried to update as soon as possible but it didn't go as it planed. But thanks for loving my story and I hope you're going to like this chapter too! Every time I read your review I get a power boost =)


	15. Work, Mishaps and Changes

**Forever More**

**15. Chapter:** Work, Mishaps and Changes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

* * *

Lory was truly going to get a headache. _Why Mogami-san? Why did you leave? Better: why did you leave such a mess behind?! And I have to clean up…_ Those and other thoughts were hunting him now. After his little chat, as he had decided to call his encounter with Ren earlier, his head was throbbing and he massaged his temples. He certainly did understand why Kuon had dealt with the woman but in which way? _Mogami-san! I really do hope you'll going to be back soon. Otherwise I might break down. _He knew it wasn't right to blame Kyoko but the mess she unknowingly had left behind and the troubles

Meanwhile Ren drove home. He wanted to be alone. He wanted time to think and to regret. The encounter before was something he wouldn't have expected and now he blamed himself. Since he had played BJ Kuon had been nearer to the surface than before. In addition, Kyoko wasn't at his side to stop him. He never ever wanted to be the cruel self again he had used to be. The cold hearted man he was who killed his friend. The human wreck only a few people knew about. Sighing he went to the kitchen and got himself a glass of whisky. _The damage was done anyways. I only hope nobody took a photo and Daishi Moe isn't to tell anyone what happened after. Hopefully Kyoko won't see the photo! After all… No, Ren, don't you ever think to finish this thought of yours!_ He finished his Whisky and went under shower. After half an hour he finished and went to bed. The day tomorrow would be long. His last thoughts were about Kyoko. _Kyoko, I love you! Wait for me!_

"That's just great! What was this ass thinking?!" Kanae and Chiori were at the LoveMe locker rooms. Both had seen the picture of Ren and Daishi Moe kissing, which was printed in today's gossip rag. Other magazines had printed the same photo with mostly the same article underneath.

_**Japan's sexiest man finally has a girlfriend?**_

_This picture was taken yesterday at a studio at LME where they currently are filming the __**Two Men, One Girl**__. It shows the top actor Tsuruga Ren and his female lead Daishi Moe kissing. What brings us to the question is she Tsuruga-san's girlfriend?_

_Rumors had it that Tsuruga had a secret relation ship with one of the rising actresses at LME, Kyoko. Kyoko is only nineteen years old and acted for only three years but she's one of the best known actresses in Japan. The fact she had won this year's Sexiest Woman Award shows that she's not only talented but pretty too. The fact she and Tsuruga got along really well and were considered being an item by most of the fans didn't affect her voting. Daishi Moe got again the fourth rank and wasn't too happy about this since she claimed herself to be more skilled and more beautiful than the rising starlet. _

_In the last four months the young actress hadn't been seen near Tsuruga. To say it correctly, Kyoko wasn't seen at all in the last four months. As we know, LME had held a short press conference stating Kyoko was ill and in temporary recovery. We all hope she's going to get better and return to the stage. _

_Now Daishi appears to be Tsuruga-san's girlfriend. A very interesting theory. We all know that the Sexiest Man Tsuruga has always been a really gentleman and charmer. He is considered the 'Co-Star Killer' by many of the female actresses working with him. Had Daishi Moe finally fallen for his charm?_

_Daishi Moe is a veteran in the show business. She played many roles and got successful. Since she claimed – as mentioned above – herself as better than Kyoko, she antagonized with the fans of Kyoko. Fact is, she even said that the young actress had the intention to harm her and said that the "useless talento-girl" was pressing charges against her. This couldn't be proved however._

_As for Tsuruga to share a kiss with a woman is really rare, even if he as an actor playing in romance movies and dramas he does hardly kiss on screen. Thinking about this fact it seems that the two of them have a pretty serious relationship. As for confirmation: LME didn't make an announcement. The curiosity surely will increase and the dreams of the female population of our country may shatter – in Tsuruga having a girlfriend. _

"I'm going to strangle this guy alive! How could he ever?" Kanae was fuming. She got her mobile out and dialed the number of the reception desk. Barking, she said the poor woman who took the call to inform her immediately of Ren's arrival. Then she ended the call.

Chiori couldn't believe he really could have done that! "Well, if he was at fault I'm helping you, he's not going to survive!" She was as angry as Kanae but maybe she only saw Ren as the devil in here. "Maybe he wasn't at fault…"

Kanae turned around furious. "What do you mean by…" She was interrupted as her phone rang. It was the reception calling to inform her about Ren's arrival. She said thanks to the woman and was out of the door before Chiori could do anything to hold her back. She followed her suit after grabbing the magazine.

Ren was on the way to the President's office. Yashiro hadn't bothered to wait for him to pick him up but had taken a cab to his apartment. His manager claimed that the President of LME wanted to see him but his manager wasn't able to tell him why. Now he was on the way to the office. Unbeknownst he had Kanae hot on his heels naturally. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator he was ordered into the office. "Good morning, President."

"Good morning, Ren. I really hope you have an explanation. Otherwise it would be really bad for you…" Lory couldn't finish his words as his door to his office was pushed open with almost inhuman force. There stood a furious Kanae – again.

"President, I'm really sorry to interrupt your meeting but I truly want an explanation from this low-life guy." She said through clenched teeth. This was a miracle itself.

Lory sighed. This day was going to be one of the worst days in his life. _Great, just great! Why does it have to be me? What have I done to deserve this?! _In his mind he slammed his head against a wall. "Well, Kotonami-kun, I want to hear this explanation too. Why don't you just wait for him to answer?"

Ren was puzzled, he didn't know what was going on. One short glance to Yashiro told him his manager didn't know too. "President, may I ask to what I should have an explanation?" He asked boldly. He earned shocked glances of disbelieve.

The first one to react after the revelation was Kanae. "He doesn't know… He doesn't know… He doesn't know…. Why the hell?! You really should know!" She wanted to hand the magazine to him but realized she hadn't brought it along. She turned around as she heard a loud bang.

Lory did what he had wanted to do since he first saw the article. He hit his desk with his head. Hard. He then decided to not say or do anything until someone would hopefully show Ren the article or topic in question. He didn't move and therefore didn't see the reaction of the others.

Thankfully Chiori now stepped in. She raised her eyebrows at the scene in front of her. She sighed. "Tsuruga-san, I think this you should read this first… And besides, on contrary to Kanae I think you had nothing to do with it." She glared at Kanae. The young actress knew the raven haired beauty missed her best friend and was a little 'jumpy' but that didn't mean she had the right to jump to unnecessary conclusion. At least in her eyes.

Ren took the magazine and was dumbfounded as he recognized the printed photo. He cursed loudly forgetting he wasn't alone. He read the article till the end and was shocked. It was only short but… _Hell, this could cause too much damage! How am I going to fix this?! Hopefully Kyoko doesn't read this…_ He thought and slumped on one of the chairs. "Great, just great! And I thought my life couldn't become any more complicated." He said defeated earning surprised looks of his companions.

* * *

It had been two days since Ren's encounter with his costar. Countermoves were made almost immediately but too late. The rumors had reached the United Kingdom pretty fast. Laura had already seen the article and had groaned alongside with Jelly. It was on of the days which could only get worse. The two were discussing some things in their office as the door flew open and revealed a fuming Kyoko. Both women had no time to hide the article.

Kyoko was fuming. Someone had forgotten to tell her the schedule of the week. She wanted answers and had stormed to the office. She crossed paths with Roxanne and other actors she knew and stomped past them muttering Japanese curses along. Nobody had dared to stop her including Laura's secretary. "Did ya think it was funny not giving me my schedule? I don't even know where I'm supposed to be right now!"

Damian had had a short morning meeting with a director discussing some cars which the man needed in his next movie. He was just passing his wife's office as he heard a loud voice he knew too well. Deciding to step in and rescue his lovely wife from the clutches of a demoness he called out. "Shorty! What's up? Why are ya so loud in the morning anyway? Some of us have a headache, ya know."

Kyoko was happy to vent her anger out on someone turned around. "Heya, buddy! What are ya doing so early? I thought a lazy bum like you would be sleeping till noon?" She grinned. Insulting someone was a way for her to vent her anger. And since Damian wouldn't hold back either it was perfect.

"Disrespectful little rat! Show some respect to your elder!" He countered and was grinning from ear to ear and he had the same evil glint in his eyes as Kyoko. Then he saw the article laying openly on the desk. He grinned. Other than Laura, Jelly and the rest who were close to her, he knew she had changed. The last time the two of them were racing at the circuit he had asked Kyoko a few important things. That time he came to realize the Kyoko who had left Japan was gone. She had perfectly molded her two personalities into one. She was now Shizuka through and through and only a few of Kyoko's characteristics were left. When he had asked her about that matter, she had agreed to his consideration. She finally was the person she wanted to be. She was caring and had a sweet heart but she was a lot rougher on the edges. _Payback's going to be sooo sweet! _He thought.

"Why should I, ya big, hairy monkey with an ugly face?" It was so good to release her anger that she had forgotten Laura and Jelly who looked at her dumbfounded. "Well, anyways, where is my schedule? I don't want to be later than I am at the moment."

Before the two could do something Damian had grabbed the gossip magazine and Kyoko's schedule and tossed it at her. He only smirked as he saw the other two women glaring at him. They were ready to beat him into the ground.

Kyoko was oblivious to her surroundings as she checked her schedule. _Good, I'm not needed anywhere for at least two hours_. Then she looked at the article and groaned. She recognized both persons in the picture. "Oh, he is so going to pay for this!" She smirked. "Bye the way, thank ya for showing me!"

Jelly and Laura were utterly shocked. They didn't believe what they saw. It looked like Kyoko had finally absorbed Shizuka. They heard silent chuckling and turned only to see a grinning Damian. They were going to get the man for not telling them of the new Kyoko.

Kyoko yawned. It was eight in the morning and even if she had been a morning person in the past she now liked to take a nap every now and then. Her work ethic hadn't suffered a bit but in her free time she was a bit lazier than before. "Anyways, I'm going to grab your man, Boss, and treat him to breakfast. I hope you're not against it since it wouldn't matter to me anyways." She grinned and left the room, with Damian trailing right behind her.

Jelly and Laura looked each other in the eyes and what followed was a shocked: "What the hell was that?!" Every business was forgotten and they only wondered what happened to the sweet and innocent Kyoko they once knew. It would take them some time to get used to it.

* * *

Damian and Kyoko went to the canteen. By now everyone was used to her unusual and unique way of dressing but she was always an eyecatcher. Today she wore a fishnet shirt under a green and grey striped Ed Hardy shirt with a big skull and red and pink flowers printed on it. She wore tight leather pants decorated with chains. The outfit was complete with red high heels converse, fingerless leather gloves, floor-length leather coat, black hat and several necklaces and the lip-and-ear-piercing she wore as Setsuka. After most of the heads had turned around, recognized Shizuka and Damian they went on with what they were doing before.

Kyoko got herself a big cup of pitch-black coffee and two chocolate croissants. Damian got some ham and eggs, bread, orange juice and a cup of normal coffee. They seated themselves at a table at the corner of the canteen so they got some privacy.

"How are ya doing? Ya should come to the circuit more often. I mean, my and the guys miss ya… It's rare that we see you out there anymore. Well, I guess since Matt is going to join us this weekend I think you'll join us too!" Damian showed an eerie grin on his face. He knew if he grasped her by her 'ambition' she would turn up.

Kyoko aka Shizuka groaned. "Oh, man! You know exactly how to handle me, don' ya?" She sighed in resignation. Now she just had to come and pull a stunt this Saturday! _Fuck him! Damian is just as a manipulative bitch as is the President and Laura. What the hell have I gotten myself into?! _She asked herself and sighed again. "Well, I'm going to show up. Just have the bikes ready and I'm going to race you without restraint. That means: without protective clothing." Although she didn't show it that much, the article had hurt her pretty bad. Therefore she had the feeling she should take a little risk. Meaning she risked a lot, maybe her life. Then again she voiced her 'concern'. "Ya're a manipulative bitch, aren't ya?"

Damian spread a wide grin. "Hell, I sure am!" He raised his cup and to her. "Well, it's going to be an interesting Saturday. I just hope ya don't going to be too reckless. I don't wanna feel the wrap of my wife… Really… Ya don' know how she'll react if you're injured… Again." He murmured.

Kyoko's head raised her head. " She was upset the time I was injured because of the bitch that wanted to hurt my and Aki?" The look in Damian eyes told her all she needed to know. "Well, sometimes Laura remind me of Lory… But he's a hell more manipulative and romance obsessed than her!" She missed him and all of her friends in Japan. But she had found a new life here in London. One glance at her clock told her she was going to be late for her meeting if she wasn't going to go now. She was glad that she had already eaten her breakfast and gulped down the last swigs of her coffee. "Heck, I need to get going. I don't want to be late! Till Saturday, you evil rigger!" Then she was out of the door and on the way to her meeting.

The meeting had gone well with Simone deWitt as the new playwriter of the series she wanted to produce. Shizuka had pretty well agreed to take the leading role but wanted to wait one or two weeks to finally agree to it. Her role was pretty clear: A rich heiress which was thrown out her home at the age of seventeen due to her rebelling her father. She then survived in the streets and after some time she had received a special reputation as a prostitute who harmed her clients pretty bad afterwards. After one year of surviving on the streets she got accepted into one of the dominating street gangs of London. While the series were filmed and aired, the character of Riley Logan rose in the ranks of the street gang named 'Bloody Blossoms' and at the end of the series being the boss of the gang. The only tricky thing about her role was the permanent tattoo she had to get. After the second episode of the series named after the gang name: "Bloody Blossoms" Riley got the tattoo.

Kyoko hadn't agreed to take the role but it pretty much remembered her of the leading role in **Dragonheart**. So she was tempted to take on the offer since she considered to take a role in another drama called **The Poet And The Pendulum**, which was the complete opposite of **Bloody Blossoms **and **Dragonheart**. She had answered Simone that she would decide at the end of the weekend if she was going to take up the offer or not. The meeting had lasted for three hours and she was glad she hadn't had any other meetings or shooting till the afternoon. She only had some studio filming for **Scarlet Rose**. It was actually the first real get-together with the crew and staff and not some mere read through. Thankfully this meeting was without Roxanne and Aki. In one week – two days after Christmas – the filming for **Scarlet Rose **would start. The entire drama would be filmed on location. Therefore the director had rented an old castle which certainly had the creepy atmosphere around it – at least the director thought it had he creepy and mysterious atmosphere the script mentioned. It was going to be a six week long shoot in Scotland.

Lost in her thoughts she opened the door to the studio. In all her glory she stepped inside and chuckled as most of the jaws fell to the floor. "Mornin' to all to you too!" She said grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Man, how she loved the astonished and frightened looks of the others in the room. "Yo, whiny!" She winked at Severus Gordon who started to throw a tantrum and ended up crying. Most of the staff eyed him wearily until Shizuka shoved a lollipop into his mouth. After a few minutes the director was back to normal.

"Hello everyone! This meeting has the sole purpose to get to know each other better. Well, two of our lead actors weren't able to come. One would be Roxanne Crawford and the other Aki." With this, the director opened the meeting. "So, I'm going to introduce you all and state what role you're going to play since some of you weren't able to attend the read through."

"The girl with the carrot colored hair is Peony Smith, she'll play Abby. The twins over there are Miranda and Mirella Stone, those two will play Prue and Pippa. The tall, black haired girl with the glasses is Ravenna Sanders and will play Becky. The Latina is Carmen Morales and will play Ines. The short, blonde haired energy bundle is Susan Gray and will play Aine. The brunette leaning in the corner is Margo Simons and will play Laurie. Hayley Thompson over there," said girl raised her hand, "is going to play May. The bluish black girl over there is Lavender Hunter, her role will be Karen. Rosalie Marshall is the all in white dressed girl and will play Riley. The African girl is Shani Alvarez and will play Tina. Dominique Dupont will – ironically – play Dominique." Every one grinned at that and Dominique smirked too. "Tara Wilda", a girl with silver hair raised her hand and said 'Hello'. "Well, she'll play Kim. The lime green eyesore, who is now pouting in the corner, is Dawn Meyer and she's going to play Bernadette. She will change her hair color, though. Ebony Montgomery is the brown haired girl next to Ravenna and will play Claire. The second carrote haired girl with grey eyes is Alice Bishop and is going to play Emily. Kelly Flower, easily spotted by her blonde, curly hair will play Flora. Gladys Hunter – by the way, the two are not related – is the maroon haired girl and will play Zoe. And last, but not least: Shizuka White, our lead actress. She'll play Jade Harper."

Every one was happy introdructions were over. Only the most important actresses were introduced, the staff members will introduce them later when necessary. It took them long enough. "So, now, we're going to take measurements for the costumes. The costumes aren't going to be all the same since the script requires partly individual school uniforms. So, if you want something particular added and it doesn't interfere with your characters, just state it."

Kyoko was the first to get her measurements taken and stated her wishes for her costumes. Severus stood beside her and controlled if her wishes wouldn't interfere with her character. Soon enough they got her costumes completed: The red tartan skirt would sit low on her hips and would end two inches under her buttocks. It would show part of her garter belt and would be simply sexy. The fishnet stockings would pronounce her well build and long legs. Her small feet would be put in high heeled ankle boots with a platform sole. The boots would have steel caps which shined silver and would made a nice contrast to the black, polished leather in addition with the metal buckles. Her upper body would be covered in a white, short sleeved blouse which would seem like a second skin. The last three buttons would be left unbuttoned as would be the top two. It would leave a deep insight of her cleavage and navel free. She would get a navel piercing later on. The school emblem and the head girl's badge would be sewn on the left side of the blouse. She would wear the red necktie loosely. The jacket she would wear was going to be made of a shining black cloth and would be matching her ankle boots. She had a leather choker with a locket and some earrings similar to Setsu's. She had black, fingerless leather gloves. Later on she would have long, red painted fingernails. The last accessory was a black hat. Her braids would be worn in a high ponytail.

"Quite an intimating outfit you're going to have. But are you sure you can walk with six inches high heels? I mean, they're six inches high even without the added two inches high plateau sole." Gordon asked. He had his doubts. He wouldn't want his lead actress to fall and break some of her bones in process.

"Aw, are you worried about me, whiny?" She laughed and slapped his shoulder pretty hard. She smirked as Gordon stumbled. "Wow, you really aren't the best one on the receiving side of a punch. Oh, well, what d'ya say. I think I'm really gonna like shooting this movie." She said while they waited for the others to finish their measurements. "So, what d'you want to do once their over with the measuring part?"

Gordon was really worried. "Well, I really don't want to postpone the filming since it would be a pain in the ass to book the location a second time. Besides, I don't want to pay the price for your idiocy." He muttered. Hopefully nothing would happen. "Well, I'm looking forward to working with you… Although I think it could get quite troublesome, with your free spirit and my fixation of an image." He had to laugh after his words. "When they're done with their costumes, I'm going to announce the room assignments. I already have them ready. Then I'll give you some 'bonding' time."

Kyoko groaned inwardly. Now Gordon had sounded like Lory. "Alright. Since I have time I'm going to get some water. I'll be back in a few. Bye." She winked and left the room before Gordon could protest. She knew it would upset him and found it funny to tease him. She turned around at the door. "Oi, you better not tell who Aki is before I'm back in the room!" After that, she closed the door. Loudly.

At Shizuka's last words everyone had turned around and looked at Gordon with questioning looks. As they saw that the director only shrugged his shoulders they began whispering amongst others. None of the persons in this room had worked with Shizuka White before and now they came to know she was really an enigma as the rumors stated.

Ravenna Sanders was quite interested in the girl. She was a professional over twelve years now since she was spouted by a talent aged as she was nine years old. Her public persona was a rational, polite business woman rather than an actress. Inwardly she was a timid person even with her twenty-two years and her experience in show business. She had never met a person like Shizuka White.

Dawn Meyer was hoping to get to know this eccentric girl better. She was a natural girl, friendly, happy, openly and a good sport. "Do you think she's going to like us, Raven?" She nudged Ravenna in her rips. Those two were best friends and had worked often together.

Ravenna blinked. "Maybe, I don't know. To me she seems impolite and rude." She stated which caused Tara Wilda to come over and join the conversation.

"Who are you talking about? Is it about Shizuka?" The others only nodded and Tara went on. "Well, I heard quite some rumors about her. She's said to race a motorbike and the President's husband is quite fond of her. The two are often seen together drinking coffee in the canteen." She stated. Ravenna and Dawn raised an eyebrow. Although Damian was known to socialize, it wouldn't occur to them he had such an interest in Shizuka.

The three young girls turned around as Dominque Dupont approached them. She had a slight French accent which couldn't be erased after years of language courses. "Shizuka White is actually a stunt woman who started to acting. She also has a nickname. I'm sure you heard about the 'Fire Dragon'?" Receiving several nods, she went on. "That's her. I didn't believe it first but after I saw her acting in the promotion clip of **Un Rêve **I reversed my opinion of her. Kelly saw her too, isn't that right?"

Kelly Flower turned around. "Her performance was really shocking. First, she was joking around but as soon as she was in front of the camera she was completely different. She was seducing and skittish at the same time. Her movements were spare but looked so energetic it was nearly unreal. I thought I saw a white, incarnate flower."

"Come over here!" The girls swarmed over were the rest of them were standing. Shani Alvarez had turned on her laptop. "Look, this is the promotion clip." She started the clip. The girls' eyes were glued to the screen. They looked as Shizuka was displaying the shy girl which aroused men and the knowing, experienced woman who gave them pleasure. The second girl was acting the same role and the two danced around another. But the second girl's acting skills were nothing compared to Shizuka's. Even if it was a mere commercial it showed skills which the greater part of experienced actors and actresses didn't have. Shani swallowed. "Man, we need to give our best in acting alongside with her."

Hayley Thompson nodded. "We really have to do that. She could easily overpower us all! It's hard to confess but as a newbie actress she's better than us." The other girls were stunned. Hayley wasn't known to talk a lot off set. And she had talked more than usually.

Miranda and Mirella Stone only laughed. "You really think that she's better than us? You really have no confidence at all. You're a shame as an actress, you know that?" Miranda stated with a wicked smile. Mirella continued. "She's ignorant and I'll be damned if she's only using her outfit to catch attention… of the President's husband." Those two were real bitches and badmouthed all of their fellow colleagues. This didn't help the teamwork.

Ebony Montgomery sighed heavily. She was the one who worked the most time together with them since they worked together in a series for two years now. "Now, I don't have something against you, but I hope you can hold yourselves back while the shootings. It's the first time every one of us has such an important movie in our hands and I don't want your stupidity to ruin it." Of course the twins protested immediately.

Gordon wasn't oblivious to what was going on but hoped he didn't have to interfere and the girls would sort out their problems amongst themselves. He decided to listen till Shizuka came back. He had to hold back his laughter. _Ms. Simons comment was quite appropriate._

Margo Simons was the only one who hadn't joined the commotion. She did after the twins started their badmouthing. "You two are a pain in the ass. You can't even acknowledge another one's talents. You are like two blind hens!"

Shani snickered and was joined by Dawn. The argument would have gone on if Ravenna hadn't interrupted it. "Girls, we don't need that right now. She's in the position which could cause great trouble for any of us if we're not careful."

Lavender Hunter confirmed this. "She has more contact to the President than any of us. They know each other on a personal level. Shizuka White is known to tolerate a lot of shit but what she doesn't tolerate at all is badmouthing her work – which is pretty good by the way – and attacks on a personal level which could harm those close to her. Haven't you heard the rumors about this actress who was fired from her job and thrown out of her company because of some unknown issues?"

Miranda and Mirella nodded, as well as a few others. "It was said this actress tried to inflict physical damage to one of Shizuka's important persons." Lavender went on. This caused some risen eyebrows and disbelieving looks.

"That's pretty harsh, don't you think? I mean, it's definitely appropriate to punish her but to get her out of the show business completely? That means she holds at least some power to accomplish that. A friend of mine works at said company and they had tons of complaints against her but it wasn't possible to throw her out." Carmen's statement got the twins to think.

Before their discussion could continue the door opened again. Only four girls hadn't said anything yet and now it was too late: in the door frame stood Shizuka. "I'm back. Did ya enjoy yourselves? I hope so, otherwise it would have been pointless to leave ya all to chat behind my back!" She chuckled because she received shocked looks. "Whiny, so what are the room assignments?" While she spoke she crossed the room and suited herself comfortably on an arm chair.

Gordon coughed and brought the attention to him. "Girls, since our date of departure is only a few days away I already have booked our hotel rooms and made the room assignments." Miranda and Mirella both started to protest but were simply overlooked by Gordon. "Ravenna, Dawn, Shani and Shizuka will share a room. Miranda, Mirella and Ebony will share a room since I don't trust the twins enough to behave themselves around others. Carmen, Tara, Dominique and Gladys will share. Hayley, Margo, Susan and Peony are together. And the last four-bed room will be shared by Lavender, Kelly, Rosalie and Alice. I'm not going to change the arrangements. I'm not interested in your protests. You better get it together, better now than later."

All the girls were baffled that Shizuka as the lead actress was put in on room with them. Ravenna and Dawn were happy to be in the same room, they stood well with Shani since they had worked together before. The only unknown factor was Shizuka.

Kyoko shrugged her shoulders. "Fine by me." Then a wicked smile crossed her lips. "And where's Aki goin' to stay?"

Gordon was going to answer that but was rudely interrupted by Mirella. "You little starlet! Watch it! You're not the most important thing on the world! Better be careful, you don't know what could happen. And who in hell is Aki?!"

Kyoko was unfazed by the outburst and only shrugged her shoulder. She didn't even answer right away but drank some water before answering. "And you are the top of the world? I don't think so. You act like a spoiled little girl who gets all she wants and thinks she is the most important person. In case you have not noticed: You are not!" The last words were spoken in a calm and clear way. Then she continued. "As for 'who in hell is Aki' I'm going to say this: I hold him close to my heart, you better not try to hurt him. You wouldn't be able either way."

Now it was Mirella who interrupted her. "Are you sure? I mean – my sister said it – accidents could happen any time…"

"Oh well," Kyoko answered, "I'm really curious how you're going to feign an accident involving a snow tiger who weighs around five-hundred fifty pounds and stands a little over three feet high at the shoulder."

The following silence was absolute. You could have heard a needle fall. Then… "Holy, fucking shit!" That was Shani.

Gordon only shook his head, sighed and started speaking again. "Since the question is solved I'm going to end this meeting although I'm asking you to spend some time with your room mates. I purposely scheduled the meeting longer so you have time for a shared lunch. For today, that's all. I wish you a pleasant day!" With that he turned around and went to the door. He turned around one last time. "Shizuka, behave yourself!"

Said girl pouted with a glint in her eyes. "Whiny, ya know me, don't ya?"

"Yeah, that's exactly why I tell you this! Just behave yourself and have fun! Wish you all the best." Then he left.

The girls didn't know what to do now. Thankfully Shizuka made the first step. "Okay, I'm hungry. I'm going to go eat something, whether you join me or not is up to you." She waited eagerly for two minutes.

Ravenna, Dawn and Shani decided to join the other actress and went over to her. The rest excused them, stating they had some things to do which wasn't exactly true. Shizuka didn't protest and started to lead the way to the canteen. It was going to be a fun lunch.

* * *

A Happy New Year to all of you!

I'm happy I was able to finish this chapter besides my work load and exams I had in the last months. I'm really grateful to all of you and I'm happy that you are so concerned about my story. Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon it, I only had too little time!

Okay, now. Some of you wanted to see the dresses but somehow I'm not able to create a link. I'm going to post the links for the dresses on my profile.

Same procedure as every time: One review, next chapter.

The P.S. is dedicated to **Icy-Kitty117**: First, thanks for reading! Second, the showdown won't happen in the next few chapters… I think. I know I didn't update fast but I had too much on my plate. I hope you're going to like this chapter too!

* * *

Another disclaimer: **The Poet And The Pendulum** is a song by Nightwish


	16. Christmas Day and the day after

**Forever More**

**16. Chapter:** Christmas Day and the day after

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

**Published: **2nd March, 2013

* * *

It was the twenty-fifth of December, it was Christmas Day. Currently it was half past seven o'clock in the morning and Kyoko was already up. Today was going to be fun, she and several others would celebrate Christmas. As silent as a mouse she tiptoed downstairs since she didn't want to wake up any of the other residents. She was already dressed in a comfortable, baggy pair of skater jeans, a tight grey short sleeved shirt with a blue swirl on it, a grey hooded jumper with a zip, and a big blue ribbon in her hair. She didn't want her braids to be in the way so she made a sloppy knot with them. On her feet she wore warm, knitted socks. She grinned at the sight which awaited her.

Sora and Rachel were lying on the couch covered in their blankets. _The two of them must have snuck down in the middle of the knight. _She shook her head. She closed the curtains so that the sun wouldn't wake them up later. The Christmas tree which they had all decorated two days before stood beside the couch. She smiled and wandered into the kitchen. The first thing for her to do was to cook some water for her tea. Yesterday she had bought some cherry and rose flavored green tea and in her opinion it would be the perfect start for today. She hummed a Christmas melody while she started to prepare the brunch. Today was going to be a merry gathering. Of course Kyoko would celebrate together with Jelly but not alone. Since Rachel and Matt lived at their house they would of course be invited. Ran, Aaron and the cookie monsters – Chester and Joshua – were coming over. Sora seemed to be living with Kyoko and Jelly instead of living with her parents. Two thirds of the month she slept at Kyoko's house.

They had invited Laura and Damian too, both had no real family to celebrate so they gladly accepted it. But the most surprising guests would be Eleanor and Richard. They had invited themselves – more or less – with the argument they would be offended if they weren't allowed to come.

To cook for thirteen persons a good tasting brunch took quite some time which is why Kyoko was up. She had told them all she was going to make Japanese dishes with some Western dishes as well as pancakes, waffles and cupcakes. She started with the rice as it was easy to reheat it later and made some sushi, maki and vegetable tempura. The batter for the cupcakes was made yesterday by her and they backed silently in the oven. She then proceeded to make some sautéed beef with her priced and secret sauce, miso soup and the batter for the waffles and pancakes. Ham and eggs needed to be fresh, reheated they didn't taste. She made some cucumber salad. While she made the pancakes she began to lay the table. Around nine thirty she was nearly finished with her cooking and the table was laid. She sighed, happy to be finished.

Just that minute she heard someone groan and turned around to see a very sleepy Matt approaching. "Good mornin', sleepy head! Merry Christmas!" She said happily and hugged him.

Matt wasn't really awake. He hugged her back and then began starting to realize what date it was. "Merry Christmas to you too!" He wished her while yawning. "What are you doing here downstairs? It's Christmas, why haven't you slept in?"

This question left Kyoko laughing. This noise woke up Sora and Rachel but they would decided to stay put on the couch. They would first listen and try the water before getting up. Christmas Day wasn't made for working and those two held that very accurately.

"You're unbelievable, Matt! And who do you think would have made the brunch?! I mean the food doesn't cook itself miraculously." She laughed. "But it doesn't really matter. I was happy to cook for ya all. Some things I need to cook later but for now I'm finished. I'm going to use the free time to wrap your gifts. Do you want some coffee to wake up?"

Matt could only nod slightly, he was falling asleep while standing. Yesterday evening he and some of his friends had a Christmas party at the house of one of them and to say they had ended up tipsy, this would be a big understatement. "Do you have some water and some headache pills too?" He asked.

Kyoko could only smile. "Sure, ya big baby. Couldn't hold ya liquor yesterday, hee?" The clattering noise of the plates and cups wasn't exactly music in Matt's ears and Kyoko knew that. Therefore she grinned as she heard her housemate groan behind her back. Adding her humming she was sure that he was cursing her at the moment.

"Noisy!" Matt whined at hearing the noises. "You're awfully cheery today, you know that?" He took the offered cup and went into the living room. He sat down beside his sister. Before he could even take a sip of his long awaited water Rachel laid her head on his upper leg. The curtains were still closed and soon the small girl fell asleep again.

Kyoko refrained to comment Matt's word. She too took a cup and filled it with the tea. She seated herself next to Sora. Sora imitated Rachel and soon enough she too was asleep again. The young adults sat silently in the living room. The silence wasn't funny, the two of them enjoyed it. Around ten o'clock they could hear Jelly moving upstairs and after an quarter of an hour she came downstairs.

Kyoko had to grin. "Good morning, Jelly! A merry Christmas ta ya! Could you take over for a moment? I need to get the both sleepyheads ready. The others should be arriving in fifteen minutes – more or less. If you want some tea just take some. I have made some green tea. It's probably cold by now." She stood up and woke Sora in the process.

Sora was sleeping peacefully but was woken as her pillow left. "What's up?" She asked with closed eyes.

"Get up, little one. Or do you want to miss our brunch?" The words worked like magic. Sora was up in an instant. She really didn't want to miss the brunch which belonged to Christmas like Easter eggs to Easter. "Rachel, Rachel! Wake up, we need to get ready! Otherwise we won't get something to eat!"

This, of course, woke Rachel. The girl jumped and both of them were running up the stairs and into the bathroom. Jelly laughed, Matt grinned and Kyoko sighed at their antics. "Well, I'm better going upstairs and prevent them from flooding the bathroom. They're pretty much capable of it."

"Just get upstairs, Matt and my, we are totally able to manage. And you already have prepared and finished nearly everything. Aren't we?" At her words he nudged Matt in the rips who promptly nodded. Kyoko shook her head and went upstairs.

As soon as she was out of the room Jelly turned around. "You, young man! You will pull yourself together while our guests are here!"

Matt was frightened. He never had seen Jelly like this. He thought she was like a sleeping dragon right now and he was only able to nod. Then the door bell rang.

Jelly grinned. "Get the door, I'm going to prepare some fresh tea." She didn't wait for him to answer and went directly into the kitchen. She chuckled as he heard his comment.

"You're wicked, you know that!" Groaning he went to the door and was glad he had dressed properly before coming down. He opened the door and saw Ran, Aaron and the boys outside. "Good morning! Merry Christmas! Come on in!" The two toddlers were excitedly stumbling inside. With those two it was going to be fun day.

* * *

Back in Japan it wasn't going to be a really happy celebration. Lory had invited Ren, Yashiro, Kanae and Chiori over. They were going to celebrate Christmas and Maria's birthday privately at his mansion. Maria had stated she didn't want a big party while her Onee-sama wasn't there to celebrate with here. This aside she had agreed to celebrate Christmas since she was going to break her grandfathers hard for sure. The loss of Jelly had taken its toll on him as had the problems which had occurred. The fact that he saw Kyoko as his second granddaughter in some ways hadn't helped him either. So Maria took this into account and stated she would celebrate Christmas with Lory – he nearly pleaded her to – albeit it was only a small get-together.

Ren was the first to arrive at the mansion alongside with Yashiro. He forbid his manager to even ring the bell since the man had quite a terrible impact on anything that was somehow electrified. So Ren rang the bell and soon the gate opened and let them in. On the way towards the mansion he was greeted with Maria flying towards him. The impact was heavy and he was lucky not to end in the bushes planted in the front yard. He registered happily that Maria had lost her grudges for driving Kyoko away. He wasn't sure whether the little girl buried her grudges all or only some but he was happy that she smiled again. A sight that had been pretty rare in the last months. "Hello! How're you doing today? I bet your grandfather has something big in storage even if it's only us who celebrate with you two!"

"Hello, hello! Sure he has but you'll notice soon enough! Hello, glasses-kun!" She greeted the too of them. Kanae had been the one to give Yashiro his new nickname yesterday evening and somehow Maria found it pretty funny to call him that. Albeit her 'sister' was not here today she had promised her grandfather not to dwell on it that much. He had gotten her with the sentence 'I'm going to be heartbroken if you don't celebrate Christmas this year! Last year you were happy, weren't you?!' Not even she had been capable of denying him his wish. _You old manipulative bastard! _She thought to the umpteenth time today. She happily chattered with Ren and couldn't help to grin.

Yashiro was quite taken back by his nickname. "Hello, Maria-chan. Since when exactly am I glasses-kun?" He asked curious after he had found his speech again. He grinned at the antics of the little girl and frowned as he saw her grin.

Ren held back a laugh and only snickered at his manager's new nickname. _Fitting._ He thought. The door in front of him and opened and soon enough he found himself face two face to eight reindeers. He hold back a groan but it slipped as soon as he saw Lory sitting in a big sleigh with small tires which hitched up the animals.

"Welcome to my humble mansion! Merry Christmas to all of you!" He beamed brightly and before anyone could say a word he went on. "May I introduce you to Dasher, Dancer, Cupid Comet, Vixen, Prancer, Donner and Blitzen, my loyal reindeers pulling my sleigh!" Lory himself was dressed in best Santa Claus fashion. Behind him one could see Sebastian, clad in a theme-fitting elf costume.

Ren and his companion could only gape at the sight in front of them. The voice of Maria reminded them that they weren't alone and this wasn't a dream – at all. "See, I told you so." The little girl tugged at Ren's coat and stated that it was getting cold. Ren coughed. "President, may we come inside? It's freezing." It seemed that Lory didn't want his guests to freeze to death so he drove the sleigh to the side. Sighing, the three persons stepped inside.

Sebastian, as silent as ever, took their coats to stuff them away for the time being. Normally the stoic man didn't question his boss but tonight he had asked himself silently one question over and over again: Is that man really sane? Of course, he thought that this was a totally stupid question since he knew the answer for years already. His boss wasn't sane by all means. After he had put away the coats he wanted to close the door but saw the other two guests arriving so he pushed the button which opened the gate.

The two girls marveled at the beautiful decoration on the mansion and were grateful they didn't have to wait long before the door was opened. Kanae was the first to approach the house with Chiori not trailing far behind. They chattered happily together and didn't know what sight would await them. They thought it was strange that no reindeers were staying in the front yard.

They were greeted by a stoic and yet warm voice they knew was Sebastian. "Kotonami-san, Amamiya-san. I wish you a merry Christmas! May I have your mantles?" While the two girls were putting off their coats Lory spotted them. They were taken by surprise as they saw the reindeers in front of them. Kanae groaned, silent enough for Lory not to hear them, and Chiori shrugged her shoulders. She was better in adapting to the strange habit of her second boss although it wouldn't be that long until she was completely assigned to LME. Her transfer would take place in one month.

"Kotonami-kun, Amamiya-kun! I wish you a merry Christmas and thanks for coming!" Lory greeted them from his place in the sleigh. "Now as all are present, please take a seat and we'll proceed to the dining room!"

A few questioning looks were shot towards one another but Maria was the first one to climb in the sleigh. Since the others now knew what to do they joined him as well. Sebastian took his seat at a bench attached on the backside of the sleigh, Lory gave the reindeers the signal. Trained as the animals were, they trotted willingly in the direction their temporarily master gave them.

"My little elf, please drive my sleigh back to the entrance hall!" Lory said grinning while he ushered the others to the table. "My dear friends, tonight you will behold a feast beyond your dreams! Please sit down."

This was one of the most awkward moments of Lory all of them silently agreed. They sat down. Maria took the between Kanae and Chiori and began chatting happily with the two young women in order to avoid her annoying granddad. Lory himself seated himself at the head of the table. Ren didn't want to spend his whole evening as solo entertainer for Lory and forced Yashiro to sit next to Lory. He only smirked as Yashiro shot him looks that could kill.

"So, Ren. In a few days you're flying to London, aren't you? I really hope you'll find her!" Lory started the conversation. Sebastian soon came into the room with the starters.

"Hell, I'm going to find her. I have two weeks I'm going to spend searching for her. I should be able to find her." Ren was already planning how to locate her. Right now he didn't know his efforts were going to be vain.

Yashiro glared at his client and friend. "You do know, it is necessary to eat and sleep in order to continue living? I'm not going to run around in London all day and night, do I make myself clear? Just imagine what would happen if I told Kyoko you didn't take care of yourself properly. And whether this situation is going to happen, be sure I'm not going to help you out of it. Not one bit." A smug grin played on his lips. He sure was going to be resting sometime while they were in London. It wouldn't bode well when Ren was too exhausted to continue the search for his beloved.

"I know, Yashiro." Then Yashiro's words reached his ear. Soon he was as white as snow. "No, you… you wouldn't, would you?" Ren was frightened beyond anything. His own manager was going to… He couldn't believe it but the face his manager was currently wearing he would bet a bunch of money Yashiro was going to betray him at some point.

Lory couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. Maria, Chiori and Kanae couldn't either. "Better be prepared, I'm sure glasses-kun would betray you and leave you at the mercy of our little Kyoko. And I'm going to state bluntly: She would win, no matter what!" Kanae stated and Chiori continued. "I mean, the last time he didn't eat properly, she actually forced him to eat. Do you know how, President?"

_I'm going to dig my own grave. Outside in the yard, and better NOW!_ Ren thought while he hoped the girls would stop embarrassing him. He had hoped those three would forget, but obviously they didn't

"That's pretty interesting. How did Kyoko accomplish that?!" He had forgotten about the starters, he was too interested to hear Ren's answer.

"Uh, well, you know..." Whatever he wanted to say was drowned by Maria's next few sentences.

"You know, Grandpa. It was really, really fun to watch. Kyoko forced him to eat because she hand-fed him. In front of the whole crew and the staff! You should have seen their reactions. I couldn't help but I laughed really hard!" Maria answered with twinkles in her eyes. This showed the others that she was up to no good. "She even had the guts to say: 'You're behaving like a whining baby. Really, and I thought you were the professional, not me!"

Ren was red as a ripe tomato. How could they mention that incident and actually repeat this embarrassing statement! He wished the ground would open and swallow him up. Then he thought it wouldn't help much. The grin his employer wore would follow him either way to the land of the dead. "May I…" He couldn't finish the sentence, the roaring laughter was overwhelming.

"Kyoko, wherever you are, a toast on you! That was bloody brilliant!" Lory quoted and toasted to the air, followed by the girls and Sebastian. He had tears in his eyes and if it wasn't for his self-control he would be lying on the floor and rolling with laughter.

Ren was embarrassed to no end. But soon he joined the laughter since it had been a really funny situation, when looking back. He was the first to discover that the door to the dining room wasn't closed but opened. He gulped as he recognized the newcomers.

The man was wearing a big grin with twinkles in his eyes. He was tall, athletic and had shocking blond hair. The woman next to him hid her giggles behind her hands and wavy golden hair hid part of her face. She was built like a model and was wearing elegant but casual clothes.

"Oh my, dear. Don't you think we're interrupting something?" The woman asked but with a certain gleam in her eyes. She was looking fondly at Ren, before her gaze fell upon Lory. "This old goat there wouldn't notice us even if the world was ending." The melodic voice was warm and amused.

"How right you are. My old boss won't recognize me anymore! I'm going to cry!" He made a comical face but couldn't deceive any of them.

Lory was shell-shocked at their presence. He made a striking imitation of a goldfish – gaping his mouth and all – before he shot up and greeted the new guests. "Kuu, Julie! What in the world are you doing here?!" He said while he rushed to them. He held Julie in a tight embrace, then turned around and shook Kuu's hand firmly and punched him in the upper arm. "That's some neat surprise, you know that? I'm glad you're here thought. The more the merrier. Please take a seat."

Meanwhile Sebastian had brought to more sets of plates and cutlery. One he placed next to Ren, the other next to Chiori. He watched the interaction from away and smiled silently as he saw the loving look the couple send to Ren and the looks the young actor send back. Love, longing and happiness were clearly written in them. Somehow the butler knew all would be well at the end of this mess.

"Kuu, these two girls are Kotonami Kanae and Amamiya Chiori. You haven't met them before unlike Tsuruga Ren and his manager, Yashiro Yukihito. Girls, this is Kuu Hizuri." Lory introduced. "Julie, may I introduce Amamiya Chiori, a good friend of Kotonami-kun. I don't think you've met Tsuruga Ren in person, he is our top actor. And the man beside him is his manager, Yashiro Yukihito." Of course Julie knew who the others were but to maintain the charade her son started, all of them had to pretend.

"It's nice to meet you too." The couple said together. "I'm sorry to interrupt your lovely dinner – but then, I'm not!" Kuu went on, mischief clearly written in his eyes. His wife giggled and seated herself next to Kanae. Soon, the two women were chattering away. Chiori and Maria joined them and after no time before they even could eat the soup a shopping date was stipulated.

Kuu took the seat next to Ren. The situation was somehow awkward but soon enough father and son – naturally they didn't let that slip – were talking. Lory threw a commentary at odd times in and the dinner was over in no time. After the dinner was over, they moved into the living room to enjoy some digestives and talk some more.

"So, how have you been since I last saw you?" Kuu asked since he wanted to know how Ren was feeling. Maybe his son would lie to him, maybe not. His eyes were locked on the brandy balloon and the liquid inside. The color remembered him of his second son's eye color. Hopefully Lory had found her till now.

Ren gulped and thought about how to answer him. It was a harmless question but none the less easy to answer. "Well, I've been fine. I got more job offers and I really enjoy them. However, one offer I should have turned down. The lead actress is a pain in my ass – excuse me – but it's true. No talent at all and she's borderline to a stalker! Besides, I have… slipped on her." This was really hard to admit, after all it could have caused some major problems. In addition, Ren was ashamed of himself that he had let out Kuon. He couldn't look his father in the eyes.

Kuu raised one eyebrow. It seemed the harmless question wasn't as harmless as he thought. "Oh well, whether she has talent or not, it doesn't give her the right to harass you. I think it was better that you slipped as you had hidden it. I mean, bottled up emotion isn't very helpful in our job, isn't it?" Even if he couldn't talk to Kuon he tried to give the young man in front of him – who was his son despite his 'new' personality – good advice. _God knows the young lad needs it_. He thought fondly.

"Yeah, you're right. Thankfully the tension doesn't ruin every little scene, only every second. I would appreciate some advice in this matter." Ren answered and was stunned on the inside. This wasn't the answer he had expected.

"You mean, she's a downright nuisance?" At the confirmative nod he went on. "I don't know, what you would or should do. I would have threatened her, belittled her or sold her out to the press." A shrug followed Kuu's words. But before the two men could continue their conversation they were interrupted by Julie.

"Dear, we're free tomorrow, aren't we?" Julie's voice was sweet and innocent. Due to Kuu knowing this tone he was weary. He didn't answer verbally and only nodded. _Only god knows what this woman is up to know!_

"Well, we – that are Kanae, Chiori, Maria and I – have decided to go shopping tomorrow as our Christmas gift to ourselves. You're going to join us!" She stated innocently but a small smug grin played her lips.

Kuu shuddered at the pure imagination of all women going shopping together and he would tag along. He was sure he would end up as a live seize doll for them to dress. He groaned. "Do I have to?" He asked with a whiny voice, even if he already knew the answer.

Julie's voice was coated with sugar and was too sweet. "Yes, dear, you have. And that's final. No excuses, not even playing with Lory can rescue you from this."

Ren couldn't help but snicker. It wasn't the best idea as things transpired.

Kuu saw the opportunity and took it. "If this amuses you, you should come along." His smiled the gentlemanly smile and Ren gulped. His father was pretty good at it, he had to admit.

"What a great idea!" Julie squealed excitedly. "You'll come with us. It's going to be like a big family going out together to have fun!"

Kanae and Maria grinned evilly. _Oh, tomorrow was going to be fun_, they thought. Whilst Chiori had to admit it would actually be fun she couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for the young actor.

Ren and Kuu turned around for backup. The sight which greeted them was the complete opposite. Yashiro and Sebastian were engaged deeply in a conversation. It would seem so they didn't hear the entire conversation but the occasional twitch in the corner of their mouths gave them away. They were hiding it well, though and knew obviously better to help them. "Traitors", they mumbled. Although a glare from Julie stopped them and their heads hung low in defeat.

* * *

Kyoko grinned. The day had been a total success. She sat alone in the living room which was – at now – in a horrible state. Wrapping papers, ribbons and packing materials were lying around everywhere. They were joined with some new toys and clothes. The table was clattered with glasses, plates and the remnants of cookies and cakes. She groaned as she thought how much time she would actually need to clean this mass. But then, it was worth the time considering the previous hours.

After brunch which was really pleasant and funny all of them started to open their presents. The twins had gotten an awful lot of new toys, Kyoko bought them some children clothes instead of toys which they could wear. In addition to their shirts she had bought them matching plush toys too and the cookie monsters really loved them. After opening their presents they played until they fell asleep, exhausted of their exploring and playing. They wanted to wish Aki a merry Christmas too, but neither of the adults would actually hear of such a thing. Aki might be behaving like a kitten but on the other side he wasn't a domestic animal and only God knows what his instincts would tell him. Following after Sora, Rachel, Matt, the Thorne couple, Jelly, the Adams couple and finally Kyoko opened their pile of presents one after the other. Eleanor and Richard had declined to open their respective presents since they would have the traditional small family dinner the day after Christmas eve. Afterwards they would exchange their presents with their family and open them together.

Kyoko had been excited to open her presents. Sora and Rachel had gotten her a bright pink scarf which although his color clashed horrible with her hair but she was dead set on wearing it. Jelly, Laura and Ran had gotten her new clothes and an awful lot of them. After all, she liked her new style and had come to like dressing up. Eleanor and Richard had gotten her custom made jewelry fitting her style. They didn't say it out loud but Kyoko knew they had spent more than just a lot of money on them. She calmed down as Eleanor said it was a present from her whole family and not just them. That didn't mean Kyoko was completely okay with them spending that much money. Aaron had gotten her a beautiful collection of simple framed photos of all her roles – even the commercial ones – which they were going to hang on the walls of the staircase and corridors. Damian had gotten her coupons for his help on the bike if she ever wanted to change something. Matt had bought her a set of oriental tea glasses since she hadn't that kind of set yet.

The opening of the present took a long time and all of them had so much fun that they were a bit sad when the time came to actually go home. They had made a lot of photos that they and promised to exchange them. They all had smiling faces and promised to come back tomorrow afternoon to bid Kyoko good bye. Tomorrow she would finally leave to Scotland due to the filming of **Scarlet Rose High**. Her luggage was already packed so she won't have to stress herself tomorrow. Aki's transporter was also ready and a small part of it would hold her bike. She had absolutely refused to work in the middle of nowhere without any means of transportation. Sure, they had the bus they were travelling with and some transporters due to the equipment, but they weren't allowed to use these in private. Anyone who wanted to explore the surroundings would have to organize these things for themselves. And since the transporter of Aki belonged to Kyoko and Jelly, they would have no problem to spare a small space for the bike. She thought of the six weeks – probably eight or nine weeks – they would spend in Scotland. They had scheduled six weeks but left the time after open should problems arise. She sighed and then glanced again at the mess around her. She stood up and began cleaning. She didn't want to clean it up tomorrow since she won't have the spirit for it – she knew that. Afterwards she would head straight to her room to catch some sleep.

* * *

Needless to say the next morning the next morning was bright on in Japan. The sun was shining and a few centimeters of snow which had fallen over the night were glittering light a thousand diamonds. While the women where happily dressing themselves and occupied their bathrooms over a long span of time the men were groaning at cursing the sun, the snow and last but not least their female companions. The day would be spending with shopping. As the saying goes it was: 'One man's joy is another man's sorrow'. Or better said: 'One woman's joy is another man's sorrow.'

As the group which currently was shopping in Tokyo Kyoko woke with a grin spreading her features. Somehow she had the feeling to congratulate Kanae and Chiori for something well done. She shrugged it off, thinking it was only a dream, and began her day with a long hot shower. She then got dressed in a style not often worn by her. She but on a pair of well worn baggy skater jeans, a tight fitting long sleeved shirt with the logo of Linkin Park on the back and the front and finished the ensemble with a comfy dark grey jumper. She chose simple earrings in form of little spiders and one simple leather choker and belt. She put on her fake lip piercing, and gathered her braids in a high ponytail. She scanned her room for the last time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything and went downstairs. All of them had slept in and it was nearly eleven o'clock and in one and a half hour Jelly, Aki and she would be on the way to Scotland. It was a teary goodbye but Kyoko couldn't help herself and threatened Matt not to burn the house down or he would have hell to pay. Then Jelly and she left. Before that she snatched one of Matt's leather jackets he wore in winter, it was really warm and had a hood with fur. He protested but she only poked her tongue out and put well worn black trainers on which she normally wore while jogging.

In front of Atlantic Ent. a group was already waiting by two black tour busses with the logo of the company. Aki's transporter was also there, it would be driven by one of the staff members joining them four transporters were parked behind the busses and were packed with the equipment. Some of the other actresses were already present and fortunately for Kyoko Roxanne wouldn't be travelling with them. She would join them in two days due to another project.

Quite sure of herself she made her way over to the group with the intent to join Ravenna, Dawn and Shani who stood near the entrance with steaming coffee cups in their hands. But Murphy's Law wouldn't have it and gifted her with the two twins. She groaned inwardly and sighed outwardly. She decided then and there that Murphy's Law either loved or hated her. She gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down as the two opened their mouths.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Have you overslept or burned your wardrobe down over Christmas? What you're wearing is a disgrace!" They said in unison. They both smirked and clearly thought they were great by commenting on her – in their eyes – horrible choice of clothes.

The others around them had heard the comment since they said it pretty loud. Some groaned, some snickered, some only hoped Shizuka wasn't out for blood, some shrugged their shoulders and Severus thought he would die from a heart attack sooner or later. Jelly smirked and joined the director to save him from his personal hell and distract him somehow.

Kyoko only raised one eye brow, shrugged her shoulders and surprisingly wished them a good morning. "Hey you two! I wish you a pleasant morning too? Are you sure you're not cold?" She had eyed their wardrobe and came to the conclusion, that only thin nylons, high heels, mini skirt and a thin jacket weren't really warm and bit back a grin as she saw them shivering in the cold. It was a few degrees under zero degrees. "What's that? Oh my, I'm soooo happy you brought me coffee! Thank you!" She promptly snatched the cup out of Miranda's hand and joined Ravenna, Dawn and Shani.

The three girls in question had burst out laughing as they witnessed the little run-in. They had a hard time to not spill their coffee. As Kyoko finally joined them they wished her a good morning. "Morning, Shizuka. That was great! I think nobody had them ever handled like you." Shani said.

Kyoko grinned and watched the twins. "Oh well, I too want to have some fun in the mornin'. They made it quite easy for me to tease them!" She answered and took a sip from her cup while her eyes followed every move of the twins. She wouldn't bet on them to stay quiet for to long. "That would be too nice." She murmured.

Ravenna looked puzzled. "What would be too nice?" She asked curiously but before she got an answer they were interrupted. The twins had meanwhile broken out of their stupor.

"You! How could you! That was MY coffee! Go get yourself one!" Miranda said angrily. Mirella soon joined her in her rant. "What do think? That you're important? You're just a second rate starlet who hasn't got any talent for acting at all! You could never compare to us!" They ended their sentence in unison – again.

"Oh, bother! That's going to be six long weeks. I think I couldn't stand them any longer." Kyoko said to half to herself, half to the others. "Are they like this all the time?" She asked them while pointing a finger at the twins, not bothering to even look at them "Please say no, otherwise…" She didn't finish her sentence and commented on the lost coffee cup. "You want it back, Miranda? Why haven't you said so? Here it is, if you don't mind that I've already drank some." Holding out the cup she grinned.

The twins were left speechless again and Dawn cheerfully answered Shizuka. "Well, yes and no. I think you've special honors to be on their retrieving end of… Hm, how should I say it… their bad temper and behavior?" She mused and nodded.

"Yep, that's right on the money." Shani agreed while she Ravenna only nodded.

Now Kyoko groaned – and not just inwardly. "Bloody hell! Just my luck!" You could here the irony in her tone. "You don't want your coffee back, then?" She asked innocently and had her good mood back.

"You, you, you imbecile!" Miranda finally shouted after she had found her speech again and tried to shove Shizuka. Who stepped out of line and not a moment later Miranda stumbled and fell down. Luckily for her she only kissed the carpet which had softened her fall and didn't damage her pretty face. She wouldn't have any injuries.

"Really, you should look where you're going with those shoes of yours. Really, high heels in winter? You know you could slip nearly everywhere? And you can't really say that clothes of yours are warm enough, can you?" Kyoko taunted. Anyway, she didn't want to get in trouble yet and so helped a very unwilling Miranda up. "You better be careful where you're going, Miranda. You too, Mirella. Don't want anything ta happen ta ya." This was true. Kyoko didn't want to spent more time than necessary with those two noisy girls.

Meanwhile they had gathered an audience, much to the disgust of the twins. The two of them came to the decision it wasn't good publicity to have a cat fight like that in the open. The reputation of them wasn't really good right now and they didn't want to make it better. "Thank you." Miranda said finally through clenched tears and strolled to the busses, her twin sister in tow.

Shani, Dawn and Ravenna congratulated Shizuka, she had handled the twins in a way none of them had ever thought of and had done some pretty well damage control along the way.

Dominique and Margo had joined them somewhere in the middle of the argument. "Good morning. That was pretty impressive." Dominique said and Margo nodded. "They had it coming for a while now. Since their last film turned out to be good they really have personality problems."

Shizuka couldn't help it and started laughing. Soon the other women joined her. "Oh well, we should get on the bus, before they're going to leave without us." While she said that she pointed over the bus and the shrinking group of people. "Bugger, I haven't claimed a seat!" Now she would have to sit at the front, not her favorite place at all!

"Don't worry! We have reserved you a seat at the last row of the bus." Dawn chirped, she was really hyper today. She never was away that long at an on location shoot.

Ravenna corrected her. "Well, actually two seats for all of us. You've got one window seat and the next. We were the first here and since you share the room with us, you would appreciate it."

"Thanks for that! Really, but shouldn't have." Kyoko said with a grin.

"Oh, no problem, Shizuka." Shani commented. "We all have reserved ourselves two seats, since we wouldn't want to have cramped feet by the end of the drive. So we can rest our feet on the spare seats."

"Well, then again, thanks. I really appreciate it." She said with a genuine smile on her lips. She boarded the bus and found her seat. She ignored the twins who were glaring daggers at her and made herself comfortable with the other five girls. She had brought her ipod, some small jukebox and cards so they wouldn't get bored on the way.

After all persons were seated the bus drove off.

* * *

Hello!

The next chapter is up and it is the longest so far! I hope you like it. I had especially fun with the scene where Julie is threatening the man with shopping. I really had a nervous breakdown while writing it. Okay, I know I updated too late for all of you but to make it up to you the next chapter is already in the making. I really hope to get reviews for this chapter although the next chapter is already half finished. Well, that means one review and in the next two weeks an update should be ready! It is now 10 p.m. my time and I wish you all pleasant evening and have fun reading!

Next time I'll try to crack the 7000 word mark… Wish me luck!

The P.S. is dedicated to **chocolaty**: Thanks for reading! I really have fun tormenting the twins, I think it's a new hobby to me. I really couldn't stop grinning while writing. As for Ren, I'm thinking really hard of how much trouble and what kind of trouble I'm going to put the pitiful lad into…


	17. Arrival and Departure

**Forever More**

**17. Chapter:** Arrival and Departure

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

**Published: **11th March, 2013

* * *

"Hey, Ravenna, what are you reading?" Kyoko asked curiously, eyeing the cover with interest. She hadn't had the time to actually read something other then scripts for some time now. After her arrival at London she had buried herself in work, not that she would protest, she rather liked it that way. They had left London a little over four hours ago and she started to get bored. After a quick sandwich they decided to nap and Kyoko listened to her music. Surprisingly she was quite fond of Linkin Park and other bands of the hard rock, metal and rap genre.

Ravenna looked away from her book. "It's a reference book on shell parakeets. My mother is really fond of them, and she wants to breed them. She had toyed with the idea for over a year now and asked me if I would like to help her in my free time." She answered and assumed that Shizuka would continue listening to her music. She was sure Shizuka would find her boring and hadn't counted on the girl to be curious.

"That sounds interesting. Aren't they these little, nosy, noisy and really colored birds? I think I have seen them a few times but I'm not sure. What do they look like?" Kyoko was really interested. She had found the colored birds cute. Sure, they could be noisy but their high pitched thrills were refreshing. "Could you show me a picture? How many do you own?"

Ravenna started to smile. While their other companies were sleeping the two of them were sharing a nice dialog over the birds. They were interrupted by Severus. He had surprisingly chosen to board the bus instead one of the transporters were he would have time to rest without the girls around.

"Shizuka, Ravenna. I only wanted to inform we were going to have break. The driver said he wanted to get some coffee. If you want, you can get of the bus for an hour and stretch your legs. We're halting at a small town so you can get something to eat and drink besides what we already have." He said and turned around and left for the front. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was getting sick in the back of the bus.

Ravenna thanked the director and shot Shizuka a questioning look.

Shizuka nodded and stretched. She had hoped to get off the bus for a few minutes herself. Even with two seats per person it was pretty annoying to not being able to move in hours. The flight to London was at nighttime and Kyoko had slept through it. "Thankfully we're able to get off for some time. I suggest, we let the other two sleeping. They look like they had a rough night yesterday." She grinned, yawned and grabbed her jacket.

A grin spread on Ravenna's lips. "That would be nice. I think they were at one of the fancy Christmas parties in town. Shani mentioned it this noon that she had gotten only five hours to sleep during the last two days." She wasn't worried about Dawn, the smaller girl would get back her energy soon enough. She was really bubbly but that was what Ravenna liked about her so much. She was a natural charmer and hadn't lost her ability while working as actress. She wasn't humble and could get jealous over little things, no question. On the other side, that was simple her character. "Well, we could get some snacks for later. I would like some vinegar chips and chocolate."

Kyoko got her handbag. "So we should. Maybe I could smuggle in some cider." She noticed the raised eyebrows of Ravenna and smirked. "It would be fun and I like the taste. Additionally, you wouldn't simply get drunk after drinking two or three bottles of them."

It was there and then that Ravenna decided to like the petite girl. "It's Raven for you now, all my friends call me that." A smirk accompanied her words. If Shizuka wanted to get cider, who was she to deny her? She liked that stuff and hadn't fairly thought of doing something like that.

"Let the fun begin, then. By the way, if I call you Raven, you should call me Shizu. So where's the next store then?" Both young women grinned and began their search. It was not little after that they had a run in with the twins.

Ravenna and Kyoko were talking and didn't spent attention to their surroundings. They were approached from behind and Kyoko had only a few seconds to react. She pushed Ravenna out of her way and handed her – she couldn't tell later – the grocery bags before she landed in the icecold water three meters bellow.

To say the twins were shocked was an understatement. They only wanted to shove Shizuka a little so she would fell on the floor and not in the small river. Ravenna didn't share the same fate since Kyoko got her out of the way soon enough. "Oh shit!" They said loudly.

Ravenna needed a moment to comprehend what had happened. Then she was worried and decided to corner the twins who were sick looking. "How could you?" She couldn't finish her rant, Kyoko interrupted her.

"Oi, Raven! Are ya alright? I hope that ta bottles didn't break!" Kyoko shouted and then looked at herself. She sighed at the sight she made. It was cold and even if the river was partly frozen over she had managed to get wet all over. Cursing like an old sailor she started to slosh to the stone wall. She looked up, shrugged her shoulders and started to climb, ignoring the cold of the stone and the chill of the air completely. She was careful to not let her grip slip, otherwise she would be down in the water again.

"You stupid girl! You worry about yourself first, then about the groceries!" Ravenna shouted frustrated. With eagle eyes she watched her friend climb the frozen wall and helped her up as she reached the top. "We must go and get you back as soon as possible. You're going to freeze to death!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna survive, don' panic." Kyoko shrugged it off. Anyways, she could help and be a little pit sarcastic. Ravenna was right, it was actually freezing. "Ya two, brainless, stupid, completely and utterly dumb bitches! D'ya know what could have happened? No, of course not! Ya lack brain, actually!" These livid words left Kyoko's mouth while her eyes blazed with coldness and revenge shimmering behind it. Then she tried to calm herself down and took several shuddering and deep breaths. "Just be thankful I reacted so fast. Another person would be – at a ninety nine percentage – so heavy injured they would have to stay at a hospital for over one week at the minimum."

The twins had shaken off their shock and watched Kyoko with big eyes. After her rant they were happy to avoid an apology towards the other girl and smirked. They wanted to high five, but were interrupted by Kyoko.

"Oh, bloody hell. I'm going to tell you this only once: You're not in trouble… YET!" She added with a vicious undertone and an underlying promise they would have to pay hell. "Well, ya don' accomplish anything by crying over spilled milk. Come on, Raven, better we'd get back to the bus." By grabbing her share of the grocery bags she started to walk away.

Ravenna could only shake her had in disbelieve. "You won't let them off the hook just as simple, won't you Shizu? If you would, you'll be really daft." A resigned sigh escaped her lips and she looked after the small cloud she made by breathing.

A dark, amused laughter pulled Kyoko's companion out of her thoughts. "No, never! As I said, they'll have hell to pay! I'm going to use my own methods. Whining wouldn't help, we would lay back our filming and that would mean spending more time with the twins than absolutely necessary. Once we've arrived and settled in they won't know what hit them!"

Ravenna turned sideways to eye her new friend. "Hm, what are you going to do? And what will you tell the director. I'm sure your current state would put some nasty question to the front?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm going to prank them to oblivion. And for the other matter, I'm going to say I tripped and stumbled into the river On the other direction the river is nearly on the same level as the sidewalk. I know, it doesn't make any sense at all but it is better than nothing, I think." Kyoko answered and turned around. It was indeed freezing and she wanted to be back on the bus as soon as possible.

Severus and all the other had asked questions but bought Kyoko's little lie. Only Shani and Dawn eyed her suspiciously after they were woken by her Kyoko's loud voice demanding her bag. It had become Kyoko's habit to bring a set of spare clothes on her travels with her and now that habit finally paid off. She didn't know why she had packed a big fluffy towel and a pair of thick woolen socks too. Mind her, she didn't complain about that. The remaining hours were spent with playing cards and 'I spy with my little eye…', listening to music, talking and sleeping. At one time Kyoko pulled forward two big thermos bottles with delicious Chai tea, a bag of homemade cookies – she had to admit she had baked them herself – and the snacks Ravenna and her had bought. Two hours before arrival the four girls opened the bottles containing cider.

Severus' eyes had twitched as he had spotted the foursome drinking alcohol. Then he decided to let them off the hook since all the girls should know what to do. On one hand he didn't but he trusted Kyoko not to do something utterly stupid and foolish. And besides all his worries, two bottles of cider didn't get one drunk. _Arrival is in two hours and I hope Shizuka will behave herself. I know she knows that I don't believe her pathetic excuse. She isn't clumsy and no way in hell would she actually fall into the river! There is definitely going on. I don't have proof but I'm sure that the two lovely Ms. Stone's are involved. I can't actually ask her to behave herself – on second thought – since they do harass her. I can only hope that whatever she's going to do later isn't too bad. I have to admit, she can be quite malicious. _Severus mused and fell in a light slumber for the time being.

* * *

Ren groaned. Kuu groaned too. Yashiro snickered – he hadn't been part of today's shopping tour. Who had thought that the shopping tour had lasted the whole day? The two man had done the best to stay in the back ground unfortunately for them that tactic hadn't work on times. The females had been pretty much shopping for themselves and only remembered occasionally the men were with them. Those times had been when they had to carry all the bags and Julie decided she wanted to play dress-up. The fashion designer couldn't let the opportunity slip to get the two gorgeous men to model for her. Kanae, Chiori and Maria had naturally agreed with the woman and so Ren and Kuu had ended up buying a few clothes themselves after trying on a lot more than they bought. It didn't help that the two were actually father and son as that was only more satisfying for Julie. She had taken lots of pictures of all of them, many of them showing Kuu and Ren together.

"Well, look at the bright side of life!" Yashiro said cheeringly. He earned puzzled looks and shook his head. "You're alive and you won't have to go shopping with them in the near future." He could only shrug as he saw the unbelieving expression on the faces of the two men currently sitting in Ren's living room. He himself was busy in the kitchen, preparing tea and some small snacks. Well, preparing snack would be an overstatement, they were already finished and only needed to be arranged on some plates.

"Shut up!" The answer came after a minute. Neither Ren nor Kuu were beware they had spoken in unison. "If you're that amused, you'll going with them the next time." Ren added. Those people who knew him well enough knew he had a malicious streak when it came to his manager. He was teasing him mercilessly more often than not. He didn't this evening, he hadn't enough energy.

Kuu groggily opened his eyes after the reply, he had closed them before, blissfully embracing the darkness. "Yeah! And it's not like I wouldn't have to go shopping with my wife in the near future. She's a fashion designer! And she likes to torment me! Be happy you're going to be far away from her the next time she requests a shopping tour." The other man could be happy that one entire ocean would be between them would the situation arise again.

Humming a melody the young manager left the kitchen with a trey in his hands. He quickly put down Ren's plate in front of the men which was a great deal smaller than Kuu's. "Anyways, I want you to eat up. I won't be on the receiving end of Kyoko's rant. I didn't know you drank tea but there were some flavored white tea leaves in one of the cup ports." Long, elegant fingers grabbed the tea cup and took a sip of the tea he had prepared.

"Normally I don't drink tea." Ren admitted as he sat up. He eyed his plate wearily and sighed at the sight. Only three different flavored onigiri and a few pieces of tempura were sitting innocently on his plate. "Most have been one of the teas Kyoko left behind. She often came over and we ate together. A few times she even slept in the guest room." He chuckled. "Of course she thought she was imposing on me. Stupid girl!" The last words were spoken with affection.

Kuu didn't bother to comment verbally. He grinned and shook his head while he ate his food with more enthusiasm than any other. His eyes were glancing along his plate and then wandered to the kitchen. Before he could ask if there were more food available Yashiro said that there was more in the fridge.

"Well, be happy. Tomorrow we're going to board the plane to London. We have a whole month to search for her. Hopefully you'll find her. I mean, I couldn't be that difficult to locate her, could it?" Poor Yashiro, he'll be proven wrong. Just goes to show you never know.

"I really hope so, Yashiro-san. I miss her so badly…" Ren shut his mouth before more words could leave it. There were some things he didn't want to discuss with his manager. Though the man would understand, he would just give his manager more blackmail material than it was good for him. "Do you have already packed everything?"

Yashiro scowled. "Sure I have. I even brought spare gloves! It wouldn't do any good to break my gear abroad."

Ren nodded. "That would be horrible, indeed. I don't want to think of what could happen." The young actor led his head fall back. "For my own peace of mind: Please, please, please don't touch any important electronics at the plane or airport!" _I really want to be alive when I got my Love-Me girl back! _

Yashiro wasn't offended but that didn't mind he could act like he was. "Some friend you are." He muttered nearly silently albeit Ren could hear him.

The following scenes would never be able to leave Yashiro's brain. His client stared up at him with big, fat and utterly adorable puppy dog eyes. Was that the secret how he got away from Setsu due to his shopping habits for her? To say he wasn't curious would be lying. His resolve didn't last long.

"Pretty please?" Ren asked and turned on his puppy dog eyes level 3. Needless to say his manager couldn't resist them and agreed with his charge. "Damn, those eyes of yours are dangerous. They should be delivered with a manual, you know?"

Ren refused to answer and only smirked.

Meanwhile Kuu was finished with raiding the kitchen. He stepped into the living room and eyed his son wearily. He saw mischief hidden in his son's eyes. "Ren, I'm sorry but you'll have to order take out for dinner." He had been so hungry he had ate every single crumb.

"Don't worry. It isn't that need to eat dinner." Ren said absently. He actually should knew better with Kyoko hot on his heels. He knew the girl would know if he had eaten enough in the past months or not.

"Dig your own grave." Yashiro mumbled and his words were accompanied by a rumbling laugh from Kuu. After that he couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud too.

Again weary eyes were watching the two men laughing hard. Ren only shrugged his shoulders, sighed at the display of childishness in front of him and took a sip of his tea. While the other two didn't seem to be able to stop laughing for another while he decided to read the newspaper, something he didn't do very often.

After the two were finished with laughing Kuu said that he needed to get to the Takarada Mansion and help his wife with the packing. He claimed that he was utterly useless in this department but his wife wanted to have him there. Even if it was only that she could curse him while packing.

This time it was Ren who was laughing and Yashiro sniggered behind his hand. Both bade the actor good bye. They would leave tomorrow afternoon, while Ren's and Yashiro's flight was scheduled to depart from Narita Airport at twelve forty-five p.m. They would have a layover at Paris for nearly two hours before they would board the plane to London Heathrow. The scheduled arrival was estimated to be at seven twenty-five p.m.

"Our reservations stand, Yashiro-san?" Ren asked as he didn't want to sleep on the airport. After their arrival they would get their luggage and catch a cab to their hotel.

"Yes. I've booked a suite with two separate bed rooms as well as two bathrooms, a big living room and a kitchenette which we'll hardly use except for making coffee and tea. Attached is a small patio which is mostly used for smoking. Since neither of us is smoking there won't be a problem, the hotel manager had mentioned it is pretty unusable in winter." The ever so perfect manager answered.

"Great! Your luggage is already at the airport?" Ren asked yet again a completely useless question. Even if he himself would deny it, it was obvious that the actor was nervous – hence the questions.

Yashiro bit back a sigh. A nervous Ren wasn't the most pleasurable companion and his eyes showed him his charge was on the edge of starting to whine. "Yes, Ren. They're in the same room as your luggage is kept and tomorrow we'll need not to worry about it. I have a deal with an assistant to move the luggage for us. He's getting paid well so we don't need to worry it wouldn't reach our plane."

Ren nodded and watched absently out of the window where the sun had already set and the darkness of the night approached quickly.

"If that's all, I'm going to take my leave, Ren. I'm going to get to bed early and after a long and nice sleep in my own bed I'm going to catch a cab and come here to wake you. I'm going to be here around half past nine a.m. since we do want to have some time to spare – in case problems such as a traffic jam arise."

Ren chuckled humorlessly. Then he locked eyes with Yashiro. "I'm a complete worrywart, aren't I" One nod and he continued. "Due to this situation I can't help being one, can't I?"

It was a rhetorical question and Yashiro knew that already but decided to answer nonetheless. "No, you can't. I can't help myself either, I'm worried too. But it will end well, believe me." In a few weeks he would come to the conclusion there wasn't an end in sight for quite some time yet.

"I only hope you're right." Ren sighed. Then he bade the man goodbye and left for the master's bedroom. He knew Yashiro would show himself out of the door since his manager had the key to his apartment since day one. The first time Lory had suggested that he had been reluctant and skeptic about the arrangement. He changed his point of view a few days later as he soon saw the benefits.

Yashiro watched Ren's retreating form and said a silent goodbye. Soon he was out of the door and after he made sure he had locked the door he continued to walk downstairs. At the corner of the apartment complex he just had exited he called a cab and not too long after he was lying in bed, as sounds asleep as his charge.

* * *

Kyoko woke the next morning well rested and cracked her eyes open. She wouldn't say no to some additional hours of sleep but knew the rest would be up in a few. She remembered last evening, the arrival and the first breathtaking look she got on the castle. The castle was called "_Eilean Donan Castle"_ located at Loch Duich and was built on a headland. At high tight the headland would transform into an island and a small footbridge would be the only connection to the other side. Kyoko had been very curious about the old castle and had questioned Severus one time on the trip about its history.

Severus hadn't been able to tell her much but tried to answer her. He had told the young actress the castle was built around 1220 AD. Due to the Spaniards using the castle as a garrison it was destroyed by three English frigates in the year 1719 AD. In between the years 1912 and 1932 it was constructed a new. A few movie scenes had been filmed there before using the castle as film set. Inside the castle a museum normally would have been located, due to the filming all rooms had been cleared and the castle would be closed off to tourists.

After their last stop in Glasgow they arrived four hours later at castle. Severus had wanted to show them where they would be filming. And it had been a spectacular and breathtaking sight. The whole castle was illuminated with artificial light which bathed the normally cold stone walls in a warm glow. The snow reflected the light and in the water they had seen the reflection of the castle. It wasn't starry but through the clouds you could see the moon and a few fog batches were flowing around like ancient ghosts or souls. After their admiring stares and comments some of them had boarded the bus and some like Kyoko and Ravenna had decided to cover the small remaining distance by food. They hadn't mind the cold and were joined by some of the staff members. They preferred the fresh air and stretching their legs since only a few minutes lay between them and their warm rooms.

During their stay they would be residing at the "MacGregor Hotel" in the center of Dornie, a pretty secluded village. The castle was only ten walking minutes away from their hotel and they wouldn't need most of the transporters. Only the props and costumes were going to be transported by care and of course Aki. No one in their right mine would let the tiger roam free or mostly free on the streets. Kyoko had pouted at first but then saw reason not to. A safety cage – half the size of the original one at Kyoko's house – had been installed at the back yard of the hotel. A few feet besides the back door Aki's special transporter had been parked and was going to be used as shelter and sleeping department.

As the small group of walkers had arrived they checked in and hauled up their luggage to their respective rooms. They had booked most of the available rooms. In order not to take up all the rooms the director had ordered the younger staff members to room in groups of five or six people. The older ones would room in groups of three or four people. The only two who got a single room were Roxanne and Severus himself, either way the rooms were a little bit bigger than storage rooms with nearly as small bathrooms.

Kyoko looked around the room with glee. They had a room on the second floor of the one story house with a view to the castle. Part of the house had an additional third story and they had gotten the room looking like a maisonette only missing the kitchen. The room was furnished with antique wooden furniture and the old wooden floor was covered with hand-woven Persian carpets. It wasn't spacious but cozy. They had a small entrance room with a small closet were they could put away their coats and shoes. Then a wooden door would open to the sleeping and living area. A small sitting area was located constructed up the stairs on the upper floor of the maisonette. On the ground floor two doors on the left side would lead to the two sleeping rooms with two single beds each. In between lay the bathroom they would share.

"The first on the bed gets to sleep in it Shani said and raced off. Kyoko wasn't that far behind and raced after the girl with the black and curly hair. They got the room with the windows viewing the castle. Kyoko snatched the bed next to the window and Shani got the one near the bathroom door.

Ravenna and Dawn chuckled and went to their room which had a view at the backyard. They weren't as childish as the other two girls since they had shared a bedroom before. They brought their luggage and began unpacking.

Kyoko looked out of the window and admired the view and then took in the sight of their room. The two single beds looked cozy and were located on the wall with the door leading into the living room, between the beds stood a small dresser with a glass bowl filled with dried fruits. On the other side under a small window stood a small table decorated with a vase in which someone had put fresh flowers and two chairs. The arrangement was flanked with one closet on each side were the actresses could put their clothes in. Opposite the bathroom door the panorama window showed the breathtaking view.

While Kyoko and Shani put away their clothes the other two girls came through the bathroom door and noted that their room was arranged in the same way only the panorama window was missing – Shani and Kyoko had caught the gable side of the house – and they had two additional windows on the side opposites the beds. The bathroom wasn't small and they would have no problem sharing it.

"Are you already finished with unpacking your things?" Shani asked while she put away all her clothes. Kyoko was doing the same and hummed a melody while doing so.

"Nope, we only wanted to see your room and inspect the bathroom which is, by the way, bigger than I thought. If we work out rounds it wouldn't be a problem sharing it." Dawn answered cheerily.

Ravenna went over to the window and enjoyed the view. "Our rooms aren't so bad. They are really comfy. I think whilst our stay I'm going to make good use of the small sitting area upstairs. Even if I'm not going to be reading much I brought some books."

Kyoko finished unpacking and stored all her technical advices at her side of the dresser followed by CD's, two or three books, the script for **Scarlet Rose** and **The Poet And The Pendulum**. She put in a tattoo catalogue as well which didn't go unnoticed by the other three.

"Say, Shizuka. Why do you have a tattoo catalogue with you?" Shani asked curious. Why an actress would permanently mark her body was beyond her. Wouldn't that be a big disadvantage for her?

"I'm considering taking on a role after **Scarlet Rose** which would need me to get either a permanent tattoo or I would spend over two hours completing the make-up. And it isn't very convenient to do that when you're only filming for two hours." Kyoko answered. She wasn't bothered by the question since she had silently asked the question herself. Now she knew the answer. "And to speak quite frankly, it wouldn't be the first permanent mark on my body.

Ravenna frowned. What did Shizuka mean by this? Before she could ask the question she was beaten to that by Dawn. "What do you mean it isn't the first permanent mark?"

"I mean, it's not that you got any other tattoos, right?" Ravenna added.

Kyoko laughed sadly. "Oh no, I don't have any tattoos right now. With marks I meant my scars. I have my few shares of them. Most I got during my work a stunt woman – in training or messed up stunts – and a select few during my free time."

"I don't want to be rude but could you show us? We have still one and a half hour left till dinner is served." Shani hoped the young actress wouldn't be affronted by her request. She really didn't mean any harm.

Kyoko raised one eyebrow at Shani's request. She looked into the dark eyes searching for hidden deviousness or something similar. As she didn't find any her gaze wandered onto Ravenna and Dawn. As she couldn't find any hard feelings or hidden glee as well she only shrugged. "Well, they certainly aren't pretty. Just beware of that." Then she undressed.

Three gasps could be heard by sensible ears. The three girls were shocked by what they saw. Sure, Shizuka had told them the sight wouldn't be pretty but they somehow thought she was joking. Confronted with the truth they only could follow the scars with their eyes.

The first one to notice were the thick streams Aki's claw had left. The next they noticed was a big oval shaped scar most likely to be a road burn which was nearly four square inches in size. They didn't even bother to look at the healed small scratches all over her backside, most likely remains of her daily training. The backsides of her legs were covered in those scratches as well. Shizuka turned around and on the front they saw a faded scar trailing from the end of her right collar bone down the middle of her rib cage on the left side. Sitting low on her left hip was a fist seized burnt scar. Beginning in the middle of her left upper leg a faded scar was running diagonally over her leg and ended above her right knee. Her lower legs were spared of scars despite the small scratches as well as her left foot. Her right foot had a cross shaped scar on the upside.

The silence laid somewhat heavily on all of them. They didn't hear the door open during their inspection and so they hadn't noticed Tara and Dominique coming in. Kyoko was facing the door though she had closed her eyes. A sharp intake of air shook them out of their thoughts. Kyoko looked over to the intruders and nodded once. Then she turned around get dressed again and conveniently shut out her surroundings.

"I'm sorry we're intruding. We did hear voices but none of you answered the door so we let ourselves in." Tara said.

"I'm sorry!" Dominique added.

"Uh, if you don't mind, could you tell us were you got all the scars from?" Shani asked with a small voice. She knew it was her fault that Shizuka had shown them her scars. If she hadn't asked, she wouldn't have told them.

"Sure, why not? I'm not ashamed, they're part of me. Well, I actually wasn't very fond of the in the beginning but why bothering if you can't change it?" That was certainly true. She hadn't been very fond of the marks in the beginning. She had loathed them for scarring her permanently. With time she realized that was the prize she had to pay when she wanted to do the stunts herself and she had happily paid it then. The fact could be seen on screen quite clearly since she hadn't had to mask her face or turn away from the camera. "But let's move this to the living room. It's more comfortable there. Maybe someone could fetch us some tea."

The girls moved to the living room and Tara decided to go and fetch some tea. Before she could move out of the door someone knocked. "Come in!" She opened the door. In front of her stood Kelly and Ebony with one tray each and asked if they could join them.

"Shizuka, are you okay of them joining us?" Tara asked halfheartedly.

"Yes, they can join us. Since they brought tea and cookies I'm not throwing them out of the room." Clatter was followed as they sat the table.

"Now back to the topic." Kyoko stated simply as she took one sip of the traditional Darjeeling tea. "The four parallel streams were made by Aki as one stupid actress decided to attack him with a switchblade. I stepped in front of her before Aki could tear her throat open. His claws got me instead and thankfully he recognized me as his owner soon enough. I would be a goner if he hadn't. The road burnt I got while a shooting and the breaks of my bike didn't work properly. Tore up my leather jacket and my protection came off. The ones running over my ribcage, on my upper legs and right foot are all from the time I trained with my katana and fought with my instructor. The burn on my lower hip was received while shooting a stunt where they were using flamethrowers. They had an unschooled and unknowing staff member handle them. Didn't know what he was holding in his hands and only realized after he had thrown a small stream of flames. Unfortunately I was in the way. The small ones I got mostly during my training, I lost count of my small accidents since I had too many."

Ebony and Kelly had first no idea what the other six were talking about but soon caught up. They were shocked and impressed someone would actually like to work in a field as dangerous as that. "Why did you quit being a stunt woman?" Ebony asked afterwards.

"Honestly? It was an accident. I've always wanted to act but hadn't a chance to move to an acting department of my previous company. They said I was too good in my job to waist my talent. A few weeks into the filming of a small drama the actress had a traffic accident and it was too late to change the actresses. Since I had a similar stature and with a bit of make up I could pass as the actress' twin they decided I should play her character. Turned out I was a natural in acting." Kyoko grinned sheepishly. The story was fictitious of course but had a germ of truth in it. The cover story was waterproof as nobody would actually care to check it. "Naturally my name wasn't mentioned and the other one got all the credits but it was okay with me. I had fun and the opportunity to transfer companies and start acting classes."

The others giggled. "Wow, you were lucky!" Kelly mentioned and continued. "But I can't deny you've got talent. I know it's not much material to judge on but your performance in **Un Rêve **was shockingly beautiful. It looked so easy while you performed!"

Kyoko groaned. "Is there anyone who hadn't seen the clip?"

"Nope." Dawn answered at the same time as Ravenna said one sentence which led to Kyoko banging her head on the table. "Shani has shown it to us during our first meeting. You were out getting something to drink."

Shani grinned. "Well, we wanted to know what you're capable of doing. You can't really blame us! How couldn't we not be nosy after the entrance you made?!"

Kyoko looked up. "Point taken." She snatched a cookie off the plate and ate it. "Chocolate brownies! Oh my god, I'm in heaven!" With enthusiasm she snatched another one and looked like the cat ate the canary.

Shani eyed the cookies wearily and snatched one herself. After the first bite she got the same blissful look in her eyes as Shizuka. "This are the best chocolate brownies I ever ate! I…" She eyed the cookies and couldn't resist. "I have to take another one."

A loud bang on the door broke the magic. Kyoko motioned Dawn to open the door and snatched cookie. Half hiding behind Ravenna she took aim and waited for Dawn to open the door.

The moment the door opened Mirella made a pompous entry. "That nasty…" She started her sentence with a loud voice but soon found it blocked. With pinpoint precision Kyoko had stuffed her mouth with cookie she threw from behind Ravenna. Everyone in the room roared with laughter.

Severus was on his way downstairs but turned around and watched the commotion. He saw that Mirella Stone was choking and soon saw the reason why. He shook his head in disbelief and called out. "Shizuka, dinner is ready. Come downstairs if you want to eat some!"

The laughing girls stumbled out of the room. Mirella hadn't stopped choking yet and was left behind As Kyoko passed her she grabbed the girl's shoulder and forced her out of the room. She closed and locked the door. With an innocent smile she turned around. "Aren't you going to join us for dinner?"

The dinner tasted excellent and soon all of them went to bed.

* * *

Ren was up thirty minutes before Yashiro's arrival. After he downed a cup of black coffee, he showered and got dressed for today. He chose a pair of casual but fitting jeans, a dark green cashmere jumper and fitting black trainers. He would hide his appearance under a black leather jacket, a black beanie and sun glasses. He checked his brown leather bag if he had everything important with him. Noting everything was there his eyes wandered around the rooms the last time for a month and then locked the apartment.

He eagerly went downstairs and waited in front of his apartment complex. He waited eagerly for Yashiro. As the man arrived with a cab he only opened the other door and seated himself. "Good morning! Can you take us to LME please?"

The driver only nodded and wormed his way into the traffic.

"Good morning, Ren. You're up pretty early. Couldn't wait now, could you?" Yashiro was smirking, he got new blackmail material.

Ren was cursing himself. _Why, oh why, have I been so eager? I could've avoided a lot of trouble. On the inside he surely is smiling with glee and planning my downfall. Damn him! _He refused to answer and continued to look out of the car window.

Yashiro only shrugged and stayed silent till they reached the LME building. There they went up to Lory's office. The secretary announced them and left the three men to their business. Lory was accompanied by his anaconda Natsuko.

"Good morning, gentlemen!" Lory greeted them with a bright smile. Not caring what his employees thought he went on. "Isn't today beautiful?"

Yashiro and ren were both taken aback by Lory's expression. After their employer had declared the day beautiful they looked out of the window. The noticed the weather the second time today and decided their employer was crazier today than usual.

"You think? My opinion on the so called beautiful day couldn't be more different than yours. It's cold, windy and the rain is mixed with snow." Ren answered sardonically.

"Oh, well. I just wanted to wish you luck. I'll stay in contact with you!" Lory said and nearly shoved the two men out of his office. "_Bon voyage, _my friends! And now, off you go! I want to play with Natsuko some more!" He giggled while closing the door in his employees faces.

Yashiro was stunned. "That went well…" He mentioned slowly. His eyes wandered to Ren and saw a similar expression on his face. They both had thought the President would gloat and hadn't expected him to react like that.

"Well, then… let's head for the airport. We could wait there just as well." Ren suggested. They would be on time, they would even have the time for coffee and a small breakfast – not that he would suggest that. He also knew his manager would coax him into eating something as he was afraid of Kyoko's wrath. They could check in early and wouldn't be bothered by crowds and would have their peace until it would be time to board the plane.

Yashiro turned around and looked at his friend and client. "Only if you're going to eat something there otherwise we would grab something to eat in the canteen."

The order didn't bode well for Ren since he knew it was fruitless to argue with Yashiro on that one. He grumbled and nodded in defeat. "I'm going to eat something at the air port. They have a Starbucks there."

"Starbucks is it then." Yashiro said. In front of the building waited a black Mercedes cls and Sebastian already awaited them. He drove them to the airport and wished them luck. After checking in they went, Ren grudgingly ate some light breakfast and refused to talk while they waited. Yashiro was dozing off and Ren was lost in thoughts while slurping his second cup of coffee. Soon enough the boarding started and they took their seats in the first class. The comfortable silence continued during their flights only broken at their layover. Both of them were exhausted as they arrived at the hotel and decided to take a nap and order dinner to be delivered up to the suite. They had been assaulted by fans at their layover and during their flights. They fell into their respective beds as soon as they had finished dinner and were sound asleep right after. Tomorrow they would start their search and they hopped for the best. That they would find her soon, all well, save and sound.

* * *

Hello again!

I'm currently dancing in my living room with joy! I finished this chapter sooner than I thought! And: The chapter excluding the head and authors note contains of exactly 7.200 words! I hope you like it. Nobody commented on the dresses and I really wanted to hear your opinion on them… I waited long enough but nobody commented. So, if someone would please comment on them? I know I'm whining.

So, same procedure as every time – I'm going to await the reviews. To answer a question asked by Icy-Kitty117: Yes, I do mind if Shizuka White's name is used elsewhere since I dedicated some time in finding a perfect name – at least in my eyes. But I can't stop anyone from using it so maybe you could change the name to Shizuka Black or something similar?

Finally: enjoy the chapter!

The P.S. is dedicated to **PantherLily1**: I hope I live up to your expectations! Enjoy!


	18. Let's get started!

**Forever More**

**18. Chapter:** Let's get started!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

**Published:** 29th March, 2013

* * *

It was half past seven in the morning. The crew for **Scarlet Rose **were deep asleep. Expect for one Kyoko Mogami aka Shizuka White. She had woken up at seven and quietly prepared for the day including a long hot shower. She then had dressed in one of her unique outfits. A pair of long red tartan trousers with leather applications on the upper legs and ankle high black winter converse covered the lower half of her body. Looking down on her naked torso she decided to wear a white long sleeved, off shoulder shirt with two labels, one on the back and one on the front. She put on a spiked leather collar and put on make up. Satisfied she silently moved out of the door and downstairs. At the door she grabbed a black hooded zip jumper which applications and inner lining were made of a similar red tartan as her trousers. She tied it around her waist. In case she got cold she didn't have to go and get it. It was official now. Today was the first day of her self proclaimed prank war. And to begin it, she needed help from one boy.

Smirking, Kyoko opened the kitchen door. Yesterday she had talked to the owner of the hotel. They hit it off and soon were talking animatedly with each other. At the end of their talk Kyoko had been allowed to the kitchen any time she wanted and she could use it too. She didn't have to get permission since the owner's wife Cassidy handled the normally not so busy kitchen alone with two helping hands. And as she had hoped, Kyoko found the person she was looking for sitting on a small table reserved for the family. The MacGregors had the tradition to eat all their meals together with their employees in the rather large kitchen.

"Good morning, Latharn." Kyoko greeted the boy who was devouring his breakfast at an alarming speed.

The boy looked up as he heard his name and grinned as he spotted Shizuka. "Good morning, Shizu. You don't have anymore trouble spelling my name correctly."

Kyoko chuckled. She thought back to yesterday's fiasco of pronouncing the Scottish name right. First, she had greeted the twelve year old boy and pronounced the word as she would have read it. Turned out it was completely wrong. The boy had explained his name had Celtic roots and therefore another pronunciation. He then taught her how to pronounce it right. Turned out that it sound quite different than it was written. The strong accentuation laid on the first syllable of the word namely 'La' and the second syllable was said as 'urn'. So the correct pronunciation was 'La-urn' instead of 'Latharn'. Latharn had proudly added that the name had a meaning too. It meant fox.

"Nope, not really. Besides I could always call you fox and nobody of my group will be wiser." She sat down and snatched a slice of bread, buttered it and covered it with jam. She took one bite, hummed and then asked the boy a question. "So, do you want to cause a little havoc?"

Latharn's head shot up. A dangerous glint glowed in his eyes. "Don't know what you mean." He mumbled but his eyes gave him away.

"Ya know, the two ugly twins…" Unconsciously she started talking in slang again. "They unnerve me… much. I wanna prank them into oblivion. An' I need help. Ya up ta it?"

Latharn was head over heals into the idea. The twins had rubbed him the wrong way after they had arrived yesterday. They had shoved him around, using him as a mule and were ungrateful he didn't complete the task fast enough. "I'm in. Wait one moment, okay?" He asked and raced out of the kitchen. His mother wasn't there yet since breakfast was handled by the two kitchen assistants.

One of them put down a mug of black tea in front of Kyoko and wished her a good morning. The young actress thanked her and smiled in response. She sighed blissfully as the taste hit her tongue.

"I'm back." A voice said from behind and was soon joined by a second one. "Good morning, Miss White." The clearly female and young voice greeted.

"Hey there." Kyoko smiled and eyed the newcomer wearily. She soon relaxed as she saw it was a girl around thirteen years old and had strikingly similarity to Latharn. She looked tomboyish and her boys clothing didn't make that any better.

Latharn grinned. "That's my sister Ailsa. She's like me a prankster at heart. She'll participate too."

"Hullo. I'm Shizuka White but call me Shizuka or Shizu. Miss White is way too formal and it makes me sound old." Kyoko involuntarily shivered. "Terrible! Anyways, the more the merrier, isn't it?" She asked innocently and held her hand out.

Ailsa was impressed by Shizuka. The girl admired the attitude of the girl and shook the offered hand. "Hullo. By the way, nice shirt!" She answered. She had read the labels and could only laugh.

"What'ya mean?" Kyoko was puzzled. The shirt wasn't that great.

"The labels!" Ailsa explained. "They fit perfectly. 'Hey, you!' and then you turn around you read 'You couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions!' on the front. I wonder were you bought it. I want one too!"

Kyoko couldn't help herself, she had to laugh loud. "I like ya! Maybe I can ask my manager to buy one and bring it with her when she visits me. You're small and if you want, you can come to my room later to try on a few shirts of mine. You're tall for your age and lean and maybe my size would fit you. Sure, they wouldn't fit you perfectly though you could wear the shirt for years if it's a little bit bigger than you actual size." Kyoko mused. "But back to the topic, I need you to help me prank those twins. Any suggestions?"

"Yep, we have!" The siblings said in unison. Ailsa motioned for her brother to continue. "The plumbing system in our house has a separate water faucet in each room or suite – except our private quarters – to cut them off of the hot water connection. So if you turn off the hot water connections of their room every other room will still have hot water running when they shower except them."

"Oh well, you sure you aren't foxes in disguise?" Kyoko asked wearily. She herself wouldn't want to be on their bad side. "That's a good one, we'll definitely use that one."

Ailsa then suggested they could switch their body lotions and shampoo and hide their toothbrushes. They had to make sure that they wouldn't either wake all three girls up or wait until Ebony had already left the room. Both twins knew how to access the rooms and turn off the hot water.

After twenty minutes they decided on the first day's battle plan. Latharn would bring up towels and stuff them into the bathroom and would cut them off of the hot water. She knew Ebony had showered last evening to avoid the two twin's ritual morning battle in the bathroom so she wouldn't be affected. Ailsa meanwhile try to apply mustard to the underside of the door handle. While they were out and filming Ailsa would smuggle some sliced garlic and onion into the room and hide it. She would also switch the lotions with the shampoo, put some self made itching powder on the cushions and put plenty of catnip outside on their windowsill, hidden in the Christmas decoration. Since they had the only guest room on the first floor it would be a fun night. The family had their private rooms on the other side of the building and wouldn't be disturbed by the cats at all.

Today the breakfast for the crew and staff would be at ten o'clock, the twins and Kyoko had two hours to set the plan in motion. They all ate breakfast and Kyoko decided to help with the breakfast preparations and set the tables with Latharn while Ailsa started with peeling the potatoes for their dinner.

At quarter past nine Ebony came downstairs. Her script in her hands she sat down on one of the couches at the lounge. She was startled when she heard her colleague's voice and was greeted by Shizuka.

"Good morning, Shizuka. How're you? Slept well?" Ebony asked while she brushed her long chocolate coloured hair back.

"Yup, thank you. I'm always hyper the first day on location shootings. I was up and ready at seven." Kyoko answered. She hoped she would get some information out of the other girl if the twins were sleeping or already awake.

Ebony stared at the crazy girl. _Who on earth would get up two hours earlier if they need not? _She decided than and there the girl was in fact insane. "You know you're insane, right?"

Kyoko bid back a laugh and answered honestly. "Well, if you think so… But tell me one person working in show business who is not a tiny bit crazy?" She meant no harm with this sentence and was glad as she heard Ebony chuckle.

"Point taken. The twins could take a page from your book. I mean, they won't be up for another fifteen minutes. Their alarm is set for thirty to ten." Ebony said and didn't notice the discreet nod Shizuka gave the children of their hosts. "Then they would argue for another ten minutes who'll get to use the shower first and so on. After both spending around twenty minutes occupying the bathroom each they would be half an hour late for breakfast, they wouldn't get to eat much over their arguing with anyone and anybody, will be cranky for today, get NGs on the set and would be utterly annoying by the end of the day." The girl sighed. True, the twins were good actresses and really had talent but sometimes their personalities didn't really get along with their job description. "That happens every first day on an on location shooting. I stopped trying to wake them up after watching that scenario for the sixth time. They'll never learn."

"Their personalities aren't difficult to figure out, aren't they?" Kyoko asked and stood. Her question was clearly a rhetorical one and she didn't expect an answer. She got it either way.

"No, not really. You don't have to know them well to trigger their anger. I worked with them constantly over the last two to three years to know how to avoid their temper tantrums. You – on the other side – seem to like them all worked up." Clearly Ebony wanted to know why Shizuka was bothering so much to antagonize them. _I mean, she can't really enjoy them having them troubling her all the time, can't she? Those two are worse than a sack full of fleas. Every time I work and room with them it's like herding cats, really! How Shizuka can stand their harassing is beyond me. _

Kyoko thought for a bit. She didn't really know how to reply and it took her a few minutes. Both girls didn't mind the silence. "It's not that I like them when they are all worked up. Though I do mind they're lacking professionalism – not that I can say that about their acting since I have yet to see it. But they have issues on the personal level of their jobs. Sure, I know we can't all be best friends and that's okay. I simply detest that they are not cooperating with some of us only because they hate our opinion. It's well known that Roxanne Crawford and I are not getting along at all. We do however call a truce while working on a movie together. It wouldn't do any good to not to. The twins simply will have to learn not to cross the line." She stated.

Meanwhile Shani, Dawn and Ravenna were coming downstairs and saw their room mate sitting in the lounge. They came over and greeted the two girls. "Good morning, you two. Shizuka are joining us?" Shani then asked.

Kyoko nodded and stood. Then she followed them to a table. Dawn and Shani were yawning, clearly not as awake as Shizuka and Ravenna. They seated themselves and poured themselves tea and coffee. Dawn looked around and sighed. "No hot chocolate, pity."

Kyoko stood up and went to the kitchen. After a few minutes she came back a mug of steaming hot chocolate in her hands. "Here you go, sweetie. I hope you'll like it."

Dawn smiled brightly, inhaled the scent and took a sip. "Wow, this is delicious. Thank you for getting it."

"Well, better thank me for making it." Kyoko smiled slyly. The others looked at her questioningly. "Well, I made it. The kitchen assistants are already busy and I got permission from Mrs. MacGregor to use the kitchen any time I want."

"Anyway, thanks." Dawn said.

They were all starting to eat as a piercing scream disturbed them. Kyoko nearly chocked on her tea and snorted into it. She gulped and turned around to see who was tapping at her shoulder.

Grinning from ear to ear she saw Ailsa and Latharn. "Mischief managed." They said slyly. "Although we failed the mustard part of the plan, it wouldn't stick to the handle. Maybe the next time we should try toothpaste." Latharn added and sound a tad pit disappointed that it didn't work out as planned.

Kyoko recognized the sentence they had borrowed of the Harry Potter books. She herself had started to read them since they were funny and she surely had watched the films. "Quoting **Harry Potter **now, aren't you?" She asked and grinned at the nods she got. "Don't be disappointed, fox. I mean, the first part worked pretty well, don't you think?"

Both children nodded and scattered as they saw their mother entering their room. "See ya later!" Both added and were soon out of sight.

"What was that?" Ravenna asked. The little chat in front of her had picked her curiosity.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Raven." Kyoko said happily and took a bite from her buttered toast. Since she had eaten she didn't need to eat much.

"No, really. What was that? It's pretty obvious you know." Dawn stated.

"That, my friends, was one of the twins in the shower. I got up early, in fact I woke at seven. I ate breakfast with the children you saw. They're the kids of our hosts and decided to help me prank the twins. While Ebony was downstairs and the twins slept it took Latharn – that's the boy – only five minutes to cut off their hot water connections. In case he would have been caught he would have had the excuse of putting two forgotten towels in the bathroom. Ailsa tried to cover the underside of the door handle with mustard but the substance unfortunately wouldn't stick to it."

Their table broke out in laughter and after twenty minutes two fuming and shivering Stone twins entered the room. They were ranting about them having no hot water which had the four girls laughing again.

Discreetly Kyoko signed Latharn to go to the room. He had to reopen the faucet before the twins could do any harm.

* * *

The same time at London two men groggily opened their eyes and cursed. Both of them hated long distance flights since both of them suffered a massive jet lag afterwards. Yashiro was the first to finish his morning routine and dressed in his usual suit he stumbled into the living room still somewhat sleepy. He decided to wait with coffee till Ren left his room and promptly fell asleep on the comfy couch.

Ren had decided to take a long bath and conveniently forgot to watch the time. The hotel did provide their suites with different bath supplements and he thought he could 'play' a little bit. Meaning he was only lying in the water and didn't think of anything. A habit he picked up while he was in his disguise as Cain Heel. He stayed in the tube until the water was getting cold. He rose and showered shortly to get the bath salts off his skin and to wash his hair. After one and a half hours he got out of the bath and got dressed. He wore casual dark grey jeans, a light grey turtleneck made of cashmere, a black men's jacket and black dress shoes. Humming he left his room and chuckled at the sight in front of him.

Yashiro was sprawled on the couch, his neck lay on the back when he was rudely woken of his slumber. The clicking noise of a camera had awoken him and startled he gazed at the bleary men standing at the door. Somehow he had lost his glasses and was now searching for them but someone beat him to it.

"You sleepy head! Here are your glasses, Yashiro." Ren said amused and handed his manager his glasses. Without them Kyoko could be standing right in front of him and he wouldn't even recognize her. "Without your glasses you're as blind as a mole."

Yashiro yawned and put his glasses back onto his nose. "It's not my fault bad eyesight is the curse of my family." He could swap his glasses in favor of contacts. He even had a few times and he looked really handsome without his glasses. The drawback with contacts was, he attracted too many of the female population than he preferred. And in order to avoid not getting his work properly done due to most of the female secretaries flirting with him he stuck with his glasses.

"And we all saw how well it worked with you wearing contacts." Ren added with a knowing smirk. Although he wasn't really there when his manager came to work with contacts he had heard his spare of rumors and stories. Such things spread incredibly fast at LME.

"You heard?" Yashiro asked and had the decency to blush.

"Sure, but we should get some breakfast and then start searching. I have the number of a private detective. The one we hired first gave me his number and recommended him. I don't know if we can bribe the police to give us some information. Or other administrative bodies to see if someone around the time Kyoko left Tokyo had gotten a work visa." Ren suggested. "Do you know how we could get into the agencies unnoticed to show around her photo?"

Yashiro nodded. "They're all good suggestions but I think I could concentrate better after I have gotten some fuel into my system." With that he meant some decent breakfast and maybe some coffee though he hoped they would serve green tea.

Both agreeing to first eat something, in Ren's case he only wanted to get some coffee, they went down to the dining room. A waitress led them to their table and waited for their orders. Due to them being guest of one of the pricier suites they wouldn't be bothered to get their food from the buffet. Yashiro glanced briefly into the menu and stated his order. Ham and eggs, toast, some fruits and vegetables and tea was all he ordered. The waitress glanced at him questioningly but didn't say anything.

"And, you, sir?" She asked, addressing Ren.

"Scrambled eggs, toast and coffee, please." Ren ordered.

The waitress wrinkled her nose but didn't comment on Ren's choice. She nodded, said that their order would be ready soon and went away.

"So, what should we do now?" Ren asked while they waited for their order.

"The first thing we should do is to contact the detective. He would be able to help us find her. Us running around at London aimless wouldn't be very productive." Yashiro answered and went on. "Then we should probably contact Jelly's relatives. We have their names. Additionally Ran Thorne's husband is a lawyer and it should be fairly easy to get their address. As for the agencies I only have one idea. Since you played BJ under an alias we could set up a business date with some of them. Your alias is well known in the UK's as well as the USA. The film actually was nominated for the Oscars for the "Best Foreign Film". It is worth trying out."

Ren's brows furrowed. _It could actually work. I mean, it couldn't be that complicated since we have four weeks to set up a meeting. But I don't believe Kyoko is hiding in plain sight. That's too predictable. _He thought and started to think of other jobs she might have taken. "Well, we should look up high class restaurants too, or at least to rumors of a new female chef or restaurant that opened in the last few months – together the two of them could eventually have the money to open their own restaurant. We all know that she's practically a chef besides not taking her exam. London has its fair share of high class cuisine and some of it is Japanese or at least Asian."

Yashiro nodded. Kyoko had earned enough money and she didn't buy much for herself and even less expensive things. She had saved most of her money. He didn't know the exact amount of money she had earned shortly before she left Japan but it would suffice to get some small business started. Adding the money Jelly had saved up they would have more than enough to get a business started at a large scale. And he voiced his concern out loud.

"I do know the exact amount of money she would get for a role in a movie or a drama. She didn't get as much as myself but she was getting close to it. At her modeling gigs and promotion clips she already got the same amount I was getting. She had been elected as the second 'Most Desirable Woman' after all." Ren answered.

They were broken out of their conversation by the waitress. She placed their order in front of them. "Your orders, sirs. Enjoy!"

Yashiro smiled happily and poured himself a cup of tea. He sighed as he noticed that he had forgotten to order green tea. He sipped and recognized the taste as a traditionally Darjeeling tea. He was happy he didn't get Earl Grey since he didn't like the taste of the bergamot orange. From the corner of his eyes he saw Ren opening his mouth to ask another question but he stopped him. "Ren, shut up. I want to eat and so should you. Ask me later after I have finished my breakfast."

Ren scowled and shut up as he was told although grudgingly. He began eating his breakfast in silence, hoping they would finish soon.

* * *

Aki was restless. He had been caged now for nearly two days. He hadn't seen the sun or breathed fresh air all this time. Now his cage was moving again and he was hoping he would get out this time. The cage hadn't moved long and after a few moments it stopped again. The next minutes there were no movements and Aki began to loose his hope.

Suddenly the door opened and he could breathe fresh air though it was cold. At first he considered staying inside but his desire to move around got the better of him. Slowly he left the small space he had been caged with.

The cold hair hit him and with it the scent of his owner. Happy he bounded towards her and in his momentum he met her head on. Both of them fell and rolled into the snow. Happy to have his owner back he licked her face affectionately and purred. He lay on top of her and only got up as he felt his owner wriggling under him.

He grudgingly got up and then looked around him and smelt the air. An awful lot of other humans' scent hit him and he turned around to look at the red head who was his most lovingly owner. He tilted his head to the side, his ears were bound forward and his tail was moving.

"It's okay, Aki. Ya know how I told ya we'll be working together again?" The soothing voice of his owner reached his sensible ears. He raised his right forepaw one time. It had taken him along time to learn this as a youngling and it meant yes.

"Those are the humans we're gonna work with, okay?" He tilted his head to the other side. Then he lay down again and tried to make himself as small as possible. He laid his eyes back and looked at her with sad eyes. _Take me with you! I don't want to stay with them! They might be evil! _He thought.

"Don' ya worry, ya big baby!" His owner lovingly said. Then she came over and scratched his ears. "Ya're gonna stay with me the whooole time. Like that?"

He promptly nodded his head two times and again pitch forked her for another play in the snow. His owner ruffled his hair again and covered him in snow. He was so happy to be out again and he could play with her!

Then his time with his sweet little owner was interrupted by a sour sounding voice. He didn't like the voice but his owner's small hand told him to stay put. He saw his owner nodding which meant this awful man was the boss. He knew his owner wouldn't let the boss fool around with her and so he unwillingly had to retreat.

"Aw, Aki… He isn' that bad, ya know? If ya want, ya can growl at him and stare at him as if he was yer favorite food. But nothing more, understood that?" His owner's otherwise sweet voice was firm and he knew not to question her through his action. It wouldn't be good for him, he knew that much. He wouldn't get cuddled and ruffled and she wouldn't play with him. He growled and sent a menacing glare towards the awful man and was happy as he saw the man flinching. He bared his teeth in what was a grin, it wasn't his fault everyone flinched away because they thought they were his meal.

"Really, ya're terrible, aren't ya?" His owner chuckled and ruffled his ears. He purred again and he knew they would start working soon. He chose to follow her around and was inwardly very happy that he managed to cause such mayhem.

* * *

Most of the workers and all the actresses were present as the door to the snow tiger's transporter was opened. At first the big feline wasn't seen but soon it was mock wrestling with their lead actress on the snowy ground. All of them originally had thought the big cat was going to kill her and they couldn't do anything against it but they were proven wrong.

A collective sigh was heard as they all relaxed. It had been too soon and the tiger was growling at the director. Then Kyoko stood and the spell was broken and all of them saw the deathly hunter underneath the well trained façade.

Shizuka then addressed them since all of the staff was now present. "It would be good to remember that Aki here is a dangerous and wild animal. Although he is well trained and wouldn't harm me you should not – at no time – forget that his spirit isn't broken. AT ALL!" She added with a serious voice no one of them had ever heard coming from her. "I'm not going to tell you what could happen if you didn't watch your steps around him. If you want to know, come ask me later inside the castle and I will show you. It would be needless to say it wouldn't be pretty."

Shani, Dawn, Ravenna, Tara and Dominique had already seen them and wouldn't need the reminder. The five of them knew Aki hadn't hit her with full force, only with an ounce of his strength. Otherwise the wounds would have been deeper, deadlier and the scars more pronounced. Shizuka could have lost her arm if the cat had struck with more force.

"Nobody – and I mean nobody – is to touch him without my permission and with me not being present. For now he doesn't react well to strangers if left alone with them. The last girl who was tried to stab him, not that she would have succeed in any way. I'm his owner, his trainer and therefore his family. He has been trained for the film since he was only a cub but again: his will isn't broken!" She strained the words but she had to. They couldn't even imagine what could happen if they underestimated him or acted wrong.

All nodded. They felt doomed and swore to do as Shizuka had said since nobody wanted to end as the feline's dinner or as his plaything.

"Understood?!" Shizuka had asked them and collective and strong "Yeses" were her answers.

"Good then. Aki, come here." The deathly beauty obeyed her command and sat down next to the red head. Kyoko knew Aki didn't like the leash and collar but the script requested it and the others would feel saver with him chained. Kyoko had not told them the leash was only a mere string to Aki. It didn't do any good to overstress things.

As soon as they were in the castle they had to change into their costumes. They wouldn't take any promotion photos until in two weeks. Firstly the tiger had to get accustomed with the actresses and the staff and secondly the photos wouldn't be needed till another two month.

"Okay girls, let's get started. Scene two and action." Severus said and the head slate snapped shut.

_Emily enters a classroom. Shortly before she had been ordered by the headmistress to tell the head girl a message and she had finally found the classroom. Relieved she opened the door and glanced into the classroom where the third years had history. The class was taught by an old lady who was currently asleep on her desk and the girls did what the wanted. It hadn't been long since the school had started, only three days ago. Somehow nobody seemed to care what the other did and therefore Emily hadn't seen the head girl once. As she considered what to say she compared uniforms. She couldn't help but feel underdressed. _

"_Uhm, excuse me. The headmistress ordered me to deliver a message. It's meant for the head girl." She finally asked timidly but nobody even noticed her. After repeating her statement for the third time she finally snapped. "Hey you!" She shouted and promptly clenched her mouth shut afterwards. She was embarrassed. _

_The girls in the room turned around and looked at her questioningly, waiting for an explanation why she had disrupted their time. _

_Abby took heart and saved the girl by asking the question the others didn't voice though she didn't look at the girl.. "Do you need something?" _

"_Yes, I need to talk to the head girl, if possible." Emily answered. _

_The girls turned around and looked at a sleeping figure at the other side of the room and thought about waking it. _

_Becky turned away from the book she was reading. "You're a first year, aren't you?" The studios girl asked and since it was a rhetorical question she didn't except an answer. She got one. _

"_Yes, I am. Should it matter?" Clearly Emily was puzzled by the question and soon got an answer but it didn't make her wiser. _

"_No." This was Becky's only comment. Then the black haired beauty wearing square glasses screw up a piece of paper and shot it at the sleeping girl. She hit dead on. _

_The struck girl shot up, looked around and her eyes fell on the paper ball. She frowned at it and her classmates since all of them were laughing. Emily tried to hide a grin but didn't manage. _

"_Okay, what's going on, girls?" Jade asked angrily, she hated to be disturbed in her sleep. _

_Becky was the first to recover. "Over there's a first year. She wants to speak to you." _

_Jade sighed, stretched and showed even more of her skin than her uniform already showed. She walked over to the girl and taking in her appearance. She wore a short skirt, tattered grey stockings, heeled ankle boots, a short sleeved blouse – the two buttons were open and the necktie was loosely tied. Her pale blonde hair was tied in two high pigtails that reached her chin. Her turquoise eyes were accentuated with black eyeliner and mascara. _

_Emily could only gape. She hadn't seen a more revealing uniform in her whole live. Although she knew you only had to wear the basics of the uniform which meant a white blouse, the necktie and the red tartan skirt in the length you liked or with permission a pair of trousers made in the same red tartan. She hadn't expected to see something like that. _

_Jade was coming towards her, wearing a more revealing shirt than it was hiding, you could see her garter belt and fishnet stockings. A short sleeved blouse was only buttoned over her breasts and showed her cleavage, navel and navel piercing. She wore the necktie loosely and her jewelry was eccentric. She wore a dangerous looking pair of high heeled boots matching her jacket she had thrown over her arm. But the most dangerous thing her eyes fell on was a snow tiger following the girl. Emily was now mortally scared. "Uhm, it isn't dangerous?"_

_Jade didn't know what the girl meant and followed her eyes. "Oh, you mean him?" She pointed at the tiger and after a confirming nod she went on. "Oh, no, he isn't. By the way, his name is Shayan, by the way." She stepped around the girl and went down the corridor. She looked back and saw Shayan and Emily trailing her, the girl held a safety distance to the tiger. She opened the door to a dressing room and held back a grown as she saw the menaces inside. _

"_Hello Jade! We're so terribly sorry but we really do need the room right now." The phrase was said in unison since the two girls occupying the rooms were twins. They even dressed identically: high heeled grey pumps, middle length skirts, grey fitted underbust vest with double-breasted black panel, short sleeved white blouse and hair bands with identical grey and red bows holding back peroxide blonde hair. They hadn't predicted Jade's reaction though. _

"_Prue, Pippa. Out now!" Jade said through clenched teeth. She didn't have the time and the wish to deal with the leaders of the fashion horses. "I'm not interested in a cat fight, though I think Shayan here wouldn't have anything against it." _

_Both girls blanched simultaneously and hurried out of the room faster than rats on a sinking ship. The door shut behind them. _

"_Okay, now that we're alone, what do you need and who are you?" Jade asked. She wasn't impatient or impolite but she showed through her body language she wasn't to be trifled with. _

"_I'm Emily or Em for short." She had realized that nobody seemed to care about last names she didn't bother to mention it. "The headmistress wanted to speak to you in the afternoon. That's all I wanted to say." _

_Jade couldn't help but groaned. "That's all? Let me tell you one thing so that you won't get into trouble later on. If it isn't something really important like for instance, a pregnancy or you having cancer, just tell in front of the class. We're a very liberal and open school. In fact, we do have no boundaries and our headmistress doesn't mind either. As long as we don't severely hurt or kill somebody and set the school on fire it doesn't matter what we do." She explained and a menacing grin formed on her lips. "Due to… some circumstances with my family it's my sixth and finally my last year hear. Don't mistake me, I'm sad to leave here." _

_Emily could only nod and managed not to gape at the girl in front of her. The head girl didn't look like it but she was nearly twenty-two! If Emily had been told to guess she would have said the girl in front of her was not older than eighteen. "Well, I should get back to class." _

"_What class do you have right now? Our teachers are eccentric after all." Jade said and looked bored. She herself had a double class history after all and if they hadn't given their teacher a sleeping pill – which the teacher didn't know about – they would have fought a simulative World War II by now. _

"_I think its religious education." Emily answered and was frightened by the malicious grin Jade wore. _

"_Oh, you won't have any problems. Go down the stairs and at the first floor take the second door on the right side. You can't miss the sign telling 'Dungeons'. Then you only have to follow the noise." With that Jade opened the door, nodded once at the girl and left. Shayan followed her silently like a shadow. _

_Emily shrugged and left too, searching for her class. _

"And cut!" Severus yelled and was happy. They had filmed more than the first scene since both girls were playing so well. He hadn't failed to notice that Shizuka was leading and Alice was responding well to the girl's leading. He now predicted that most of the other girls would have the same reaction towards Shizuka's acting.

"Oh man. I knew she was good, after all we saw the promotion clip and later I did watch the trailer for **Bad Luck – Good Luck**. If it hadn't been for her hair and eyes I wouldn't have recognized her. Her role had a few characteristics which had fit her personality but you could honestly not tell it was Shizuka behind Morgan Fey. But to see it happen right in front of your eyes is something to behold." Dawn said admiration clear in her voice.

Kelly nodded. "I really admire her. She acts like pro and she handled her tiger like he wasn't a deadly animal. How long do you think it takes to train an animal like that? And not break his will?"

Severus returned from his post and joined the girls. "If you ask me, it would be nearly impossible. She had told me Aki hadn't been trained by her from the beginning. His previous owner had died and Shizuka was working with him on the film. After his owner's death he was problematic. He only accepted Shizuka near him and so she became his owner."

"After I worked with him for a short period of time a professional animal trainer came to me and I got my certificate. He said it was an exceptional task perfectly managed. He himself couldn't have managed it in such a short time. Aki knew more tricks than ever before and he accepted other people around him again. It's not usual even for a fully trained and normally wild animal to be around that many people." Kyoko interrupted them.

"Congratulations then." Tara turned around and faced Shizuka. She looked curious at the tiger who stayed the whole time seemingly glued to his owner. "Hm, may he let me touch him?" She mused and looked questioningly at Shizuka.

"We could try. We need to go to an open area though. I don't want him to feel caged since it would be contra productive. Whiny, do we have the time or do we need to proceed with the filming?" She shot Severus a hidden glare.

Severus raised his eyebrows and reconsidered the chances he had. The glare he got answered his silent question. He knew now that the girl in front of him could make the best of the film or could act shady and ruin the film. "Oh well, since you already had covered up the third scene I think we do have the time."

"Okay, the ones who want to watch can come. The others should stay inside. It's freezing outside." She didn't wait for an answer and only fetched her leather coat. She didn't bother to change and wearing her costume he went out in the cold. The others looked at her as if she was insane but she didn't bother.

Tara fetched herself a coat and changed at least back into her trousers and winter boots. She followed Shizuka out and soon found herself on the open area in front of the castle. They had closed the footbridge temporarily and a few visitors on the other side started to frantically take pictures of the unusual sideshow.

Tara was told to come over and she joined the girl and the snow tiger. She wasn't allowed to put her gloves on and she did as ordered and soon stood so close to the tiger she felt his hot breath. "What should I do now?" Her voice nearly broke and somehow she thought it wasn't the best idea she ever had.

"First of all you should lower yourself and bow your head. His previous owner had taught him it was a gesture of respect towards him. Normally he shouldn't have been taught that but it was done anyway. No chance of undoing it." Kyoko explained and lowered herself to the ground until she was kneeling on the snow-covered ground. "Aki, here is someone who wants to get to know you. Will you allow it?"

* * *

Aki was confused as to why they went outside. It was cold outside and his owner's skin wasn't covered enough to stay warm. Outside he was ordered to sit on the ground. The other female human who smelled of peaches stayed near his owner all the time. He was curious.

Then his human girl got down in front of him. He tilted his head to the side and asked himself as to why his owner bowed to him. He lay down in the snow and looked up, thinking he had done something wrong. The question his owner had asked him needed some time answering.

He made up his mind while his owner stayed perfectly still and the peaches girl – he named the other one – fidgeted behind her. He sat up again and raised his right forepaw one time.

His owner then signed the peaches girl to come over. He growled as the girl came near him too fast. She looked frightened but his owner calmed her down and explained to come closer slowly.

After a few moments the girl knelt in front him and lowered even her behind down to her heels and bowed forward, so she faced the snow. He tilted his head to the other side and sniffed at the peaches girl's mane. It glittered like the snow and she smelled like peaches and roses. He liked the smell. He nudged the girl with his paw. She didn't react.

Before he could touch her again the soothing voice of his owner calmed down the girl and helped her to sit up, she stayed on her knees though. She reached her trembling hands towards him and stopped a few inches in front of his head. Her hands were trembling the whole time and he came to the conclusion she was frightened by him.

But he didn't want to frighten the girl! So he closed the distance and touched her hand with his nose and breathed against it. He liked the touch of her hand and purred.

* * *

Tara was fascinated. Sure, she was frightened by the big feline. To know he was only tamed and not broken was one thing, the other one was he could kill her the next second if he wanted. "Hello Aki, I'm Tara. Am I allowed to ruffle your fur?"

She waited till Aki gave her his okay and Shizuka confirmed it. Slowly she ran his fingers through his soft fur. He was warm even in the surrounding temperature. A happy grin spread on her face. "Wow, you're so beautiful!" She said and admiration was clearly ringing in her voice.

"He is a sight to behold, isn't he?" Kyoko said lovingly and bent down to ruffle his ears affectionately. "You're my big baby, aren't you?" She had to laugh as Aki rolled onto his back and she began stroking his belly.

Tara didn't know what to do, now that the snow tiger was lying on his back. Her action was guided by Shizuka as the girl took her hand and laid it onto the tiger's belly. She could feel the rumble beneath the fur and the muscles.

Their fun was interrupted by Severus. "Girls, we need to go back and proceed with the filming. Otherwise we're going to film late into the night. And it's rumored that ghosts haunt this place." And regretted the last part as soon as he saw Shizuka's eyes lightening up. "And no, I'm not going to let you spend the night here, Shizuka!" He added hastily.

Kyoko pouted. "You're no fun, Whiny." Then she rose, grabbed Aki's leash and signed him to get up. "Back to work, Aki. Later we're going to spend some time playing in the snow, okay."

Tara stood too and shook her head. If anyone had told her she would stroke a tiger before today she would have told he was insane. But it was an incredible feeling and a completely new experience. "Thank you, Shizuka, Aki!" She said grinning before she rushed inside to change back into her costume.

* * *

HAPPY EASTER!

It has been some time since I updated the story but the next few chapters should be ready soon. Since I have Easter holidays I have lots of time to write and due to me travelling to Croatia the last few days I had no internet but my laptop. And so the next two chapters are already in the making. This evening I'm going to make an exception of my one-review-rule. I'd like to get three reviews because the next chapter is nearly finished. After this chapter I'm going back on using my one-review rule. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't expect too many complicated words since I haven't had Internet hence my dictionary didn't work. But I'm whining… and don't mind it. Seven days being jammed into a 19 feet long camper with three other girls who are four years younger than you – as you only where with them as the driver and night time nanny – makes you this way. But I can't complain too much since during the day I had muuuch free time to write, a spectacular landscape, small original towns I loved to visit, sun, sea and really tasty food. I'm babbling, ignore me.

Anyways, read and review please! And hopefully enjoy!

The P.S. is dedicated to : Don't feel to bad for Ren, he'll get something of her in the next few chapters, I promise! Maybe not in the next one but in chapter twenty for sure. Scout's honor!


	19. Help arrives and filmings proceed

**Forever More**

**19. Chapter: **Help arrives and filmings proceed

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Skip Beat! nor any of its characters!

**Published: **8th April, 2013

* * *

Ren and Yashiro were waiting silently in their hotel's lobby. They had phoned the detective and he had agreed with meeting them. He had wanted to meet them at the hotel since his office was too small to hold any meeting over there.

"You think he's really coming?" Ren asked skeptically and glanced at his watch. The private detective was now twenty minutes late. Before Yashiro could answer a disheveled man stepped into the lobby and locked eyes with him. He soon joined them in their sitting corner.

"Good morning!" He greeted them and looked at them closely. "You're Ren Tsuruga and Yukihito Yashiro?" He asked and waited for a confirmation which he got.

"Good morning, Mister Brown, I assume?" Ren answered the man. He hadn't expected someone like him to be a private detective, he looked more like a banker who was used to an extensive workout and not like someone who earned his money sniffling around in other people's affairs.

"You're correct. I'm sorry I'm late but the morning traffic held me up. May I sit down?" After getting a nod he sat down on the comfortable couch. "You said you needed my services? May I ask why?"

Yashiro nodded. "We're searching for two people. They had left their home country earlier that year and – how should I say that – we want them back." His explanation wasn't the best and he knew it.

"Well, that's interesting. Firstly, I really like to know the background story, like as to why they left and why you want them to come back." Brown wasn't stupid and he often got requests to search for people with an abuse home life who ran away. He refused to work for the likes of them and wanted to make sure those men in front of him weren't similar.

Ren and Yashiro knew what was implied by the question. They knew it was necessary for the man to check but that didn't mean they had to like it. "If you're implying we've abused the men in question you're completely wrong." Ren's disgust was clearly present and his tone was hard as steel.

"Hey, hold your horses down! It's a standard question I ask my clients and if you can't accept that you should search for another detective." Brown said. He had never gotten such a strong reaction before. Some of his clients squirmed, their body language answering his question, some of them left without saying a word and some of them said they wouldn't do something like that. The chance to get a case in which the vanished pers n was abused were slim but it did happen after all.

"We're sorry." Yashiro said in Ren's place. He shot his friend a hard glare, telling him to behave. "It's not like we didn't expect the question but I assure you we wouldn't harm the women. We're searching for them for half a year now and our only lead ended here at London." He answered calmly.

"No problem. Please continue." Brown told them and set back. He took a sip out of his water bottle.

"The women in question are Jelly Woods and Kyoko Mogami. Jelly Woods was born here in London and has a family living here. Kyoko Mogami was born in Kyoto, Japan. She hasn't any real family left. Her mother abandoned her at a young age. She stayed with a family owning a Ryokan and was in love with their son. Both of them run away to Tokyo nearly three years ago. They had a fall out and Kyoko entered the show business. She was a rising starlet and well known actress in Japan. I can only predict as to why she left and maybe you should ask Ren here. After all it was mostly his fault for not telling her he was in love with her."

Brown tilted his head and looked questioningly at the young man. The story was nearly unreal but he decided to listen till the end.

"Well, the second woman is Jelly Woods. As mentioned before she has a family background here at London. She is a few years older than Kyoko but she doesn't look like it. Believe me if one of them doesn't want to be recognized you have no chance doing that. She's one of the best make up artists in the business. She too left due to personal and emotional issues. She is the girlfriend of our agency's President. They were together around ten years now and seemed to be happy on the outside. But she didn't like to be only the side kick of Lory Takarada and decided – since he didn't even bother to mention they could be a married couple – to leave him and start anew."

"Understandable." Brown answered and then turned around to Ren. "What interests me the most is what you could possibly have done to drive her away."

Ren managed to hide a blush. He was an actor after all and he wouldn't be able to life this down if he blushed now. "Well, Kyoko is a very traditional girl. Her first kiss was forced upon her and she was already seventeen. Anyways, she got drunk during a party after the filming of her last movie had ended. She called me that evening and asked if I could give her a ride. I told her to wait inside the bar where they celebrated and went to get there. Over there I nearly got into a fight with a fellow actor who had his eyes on her too. If it hadn't been for Kyoko we would have bodily fought. She shoved me out of the bar. I didn't drive her home and instead we went to my apartment. The end of the story: I slept with her. I used her drunkenness as my advantage. I wanted to tell her I love her but I forgot. The next morning she wasn't at my apartment any more. I wanted to talk to her but she avoided me perfectly. After three weeks it got boring and silly. After an especially tiring day I called her and heard the dreaded message on her phone: 'The number you dialed is not assigned'."

Brown was an expert at reading body language. The young man in front of him was madly in love, ashamed and seemed to loose hope rather rapidly.

"I went to see the president and he told me Jelly had left too. They had moved all their money and their phones weren't assigned any more. We lost them at Narita Airport. Even with bribing the President wasn't able to get information. We then hired a private detective at Tokyo. He had tracked them down to London due to Kyoko's ownership of a rare snow tiger. Then he lost their tracks."

Brown nodded absently. He first didn't believe the story but now – looking at the two men in front of him and especially Ren Tsuruga – he started to believe the story was true. "You said she had a snow tiger? Do you know if she has a certificate that makes her a professional trainer?"

Both men looked puzzled. "I don't know. If she has, she never bothered to mention." Ren finally answered.

"Okay, I shall look into it but it could be too difficult to manage. If she had gotten back in Japan it would be problematic to look into their records. I may have better chances here in the UK if she got it here. Do you have other suggestions as to where she could be?" Brown asked.

"Well, Kyoko could be working at a high class restaurant or hotel. Even if she isn't a fully trained chef she has the knowledge and the skills to work like one. If both women had combined their money they could even own their own restaurant." Yashiro mused.

Ren thought again about the possibility of Kyoko working as an actress. "I don't think Kyoko would be so stupid as to join an agency as an actress. She would be too easy to find and she knows that. She isn't stupid, after all. As for Jelly, she could be working as a make up artist again since she is one of the best. And she wouldn't be recognized easily."

Brown wrote all that down in a small black book. He stopped. "If they work together could it be possible that Jelly had taken Kyoko as an apprentice?"

Yashiro thought about that and slowly nodded. "It could be possible. She's a quick learner and she could actually show a talent in it. At least I wouldn't be surprised if she did."

Brown nodded again and sighed. A make up artist and on top of that one of the best and an actress who could play nearly any role she wanted. The only hint he got were the relatives of one and the snow tiger of the other. "I have to say, it's not the simplest case. Those two could be nearly anywhere at London and I wouldn't know it was them. I only hope the relatives have a lead, otherwise it could get really difficult. I'm not allowed to look into the ownerships of wild animals since officially closed off from the public to protect their owners. Activists don't take that kind of information likely and some of the trainers or owners were severely bodily harmed and the freed animals mistreated caused by the lack of knowledge how to care for them. I hope you have photos with you. Hopefully were they weren't disguised or playing a role."

Ren took out two photos. Kyoko, barefooted, wearing a lovely pink, orange and yellow colored sun dress and straw hat and Jelly wearing blue jeans, a beige silk blouse and a Stetson, only a few strands of dark brown hair peeked out. "That's the two best of them. The others were all done while they were wearing make up, wigs and/or costumes."

Brown took the pictures and memorized them. "May I have some of those too? Only to know what I'm getting into." To say he was shocked after he saw the pictures would be an understatement. His mouth hung open. "That's them?" He asked not believing the two beauties being the same persons as on the other photos.

"Yep, that's them. Do you know now why we said you wouldn't recognize them even if they stood right in front of you?" Ren was chuckling while he said those words. It was hard to believe, even after all the times he saw it happen, that they could change that much.

Brown gathered his thoughts and the sighed. Deeply. "You know to find them would be Sisyphean task? They're like chameleons." Brown refused to whine but he knew at some point he would, maybe he would even cry. "I should consider they're using fake names too."

"We don't know but it could be more than possible." Yashiro said again. "I wouldn't bet that they're using Japanese names, more that they're using western names. It would only be logical."

"Well, gentlemen, then I'm leaving. I want to get started as soon as possible. I don't know where right now but I think I'll start with a background search of Jelly Woods' family. I'll contact you as soon as I know something. I'll either call or knock on your door if I'm near your hotel." Brown stood and shook hands with both men. After trading formal words he left the lobby.

Ren and Yashiro watched the detective while he left and then looked at each other. "Hopefully he will not fail like the other." Ren spoke more to his own self than to Yashiro and the other man acknowledged that and stayed silent. After a few minutes sitting there in silence he stood up. "Maybe I should call the director of the **Tragic Marker **and ask him if he can arrange meetings with a few agencies."

"It's a start." Yashiro commented and both men walked back to their suite to plan.

* * *

It was the third day since the filming of **Scarlet Rose **and it started with a surprise for Kyoko. They had been filming for two hours now and soon lunch break would start. A commotion at in the hallway caused them to stop filming. Severus didn't like that and went to stop the troubling noise. He came back unfinished and cranky, a group of people trailing behind him.

"Shizuka, someone's here to see you. Please make it quick, so we could finish filming the next four hours. After that, you're free for today. It's not that I don't trust you but I know with your guests present the others won't be able to open their mouth and even less to allow a grammatically correct sentence to leave it." Severus grudgingly said and earned cheers from the staff. "If I have to give any of you one NG, you're staying here until you pass out from exhaustion!"

Everyone present shut up. They knew the director was serious and so they ignored their guests for now. Thankfully it was only Shizuka, Roxanne and Declan. Declan Moore had surprisingly gotten the role of Lucas Dorian, the bank's lawyer. It was a rather small role and he didn't have more than and rather short appearances. He only agreed to take the part after he was told that Shizuka would be the lead actress. "Now, scene one and action."

_The headmistress opened the door to her office. She was surprised to see a first year and the annoying lawyer waiting for her inside. She didn't bother to greet the lawyer and face the first year who fidgeting in her corner. "Thank you, Emily. Before you go back to your class please tell the head girl I want to see her in the afternoon." She dismissed the girl with a wink. "What can I do for you today, Mr. Dorian?" _

_Lucas Dorian was a lawyer. He didn't like the situation as to why he was here today but he couldn't help it anyways. His bank had loaned the school a rather big amount of money. Now, after a few years they had decided to end their contract and the bank wanted their money back. "I come with grave news. My bank has decided to end the contract between the school – meaning yourself – and them. They want their money back at the end of the current school year. Otherwise they would force you to leave and sell the castle and the grounds." _

_The headmistress looked shocked. "They want to end the contract? Is that even possible?" She hoped Mr. Dorian would deny it. Her hope didn't last long. _

"_Sadly not, they can and will. They didn't know I'm here today. They had decided they wouldn't warn you to get their money and a huge sum in addition. I'm risking my job with being here." _

_The headmistress turned around and looked through the window. The water of the lake glittered in the sun like thousand diamonds. Often fog and clouds would hide the sun. On the other side of the headland she saw a few holes in the ground, courtesy of the chemistry class. The man was a mad scientist and for the sake of the castle rooms she had banned him teaching his class inside the castle. Now he experimented in on of the garden sheds and more often than not he had burned hair or black clothes. "Is there anything I can do to save the school?" She asked not facing the young man who risked that much to warn her. _

"_Yes, there is. Get the money by any means possible. It doesn't matter if you steal it or win it. Just have it ready." He answered and looked at his watch. "I have to leave now. Otherwise they would get suspicious." He nodded shortly and left without another word. _

_The headmistress remained standing at the window. She didn't even remove her Mardi Grass mask as she usually did when she was alone. She needed time to think and plan. Hopefully her head girl, Jade Harper, could help her. The girl was a great help, she acted as deputy headmistress more often than not. And he had the craziest ideas anyone could have. Surely she would cook something up. "Better get to work." And that she did. _

"Cut! That's a wrap!" Severus said and nodded at the camera men. They understood and moved the cameras so they could immediately start filming again. They only needed two minutes since the next scene would be filmed in the same room.

"All ready?" Shizuka asked and didn't spare Severus a glance. She knew the director would get as much work done as possible, even if he had to break his promise. She only had one minute to greet her guest and got back to work without having Severus to remind her. Her fellow colleagues were all ready.

"Yes!" After the collective answer Severus told them to start with scene three.

_Jade entered the headmistress office without knocking. Shayan stayed in front of the door as always. It was as much the headmistress office as it was hers. She saw the women sitting at her desk. "You wanted to speak with me, Miss?" _

_The headmistress didn't look away from the letter she was writing. "Mr. Dorian was here earlier and told me that the bank is ending our contract. He took the risk of telling us, the bank didn't want us to know. They want to sell the castle and the grounds by the end of the school year." _

_Jade wasn't surprised. She had waited for that to happen for quite some time now. She had seen the school finances a few times and every time she saw they were bad. "That's serious but nothing we can't manage." _

_Now the headmistress looked up. "You think?" She asked and tried hard not to let her voice tremble. _

"_Yes I do." Jade said smiling. "It's not as grave as it may seem. Thinking of it, we have several ways to save the school. I would suggest doing it legally." If that didn't work Jade you enough to do it illegally. _

"_Do tell." The headmistress said, focused now solely on her head girl. _

"_Not now. Not here. Let me think up a few ideas and then we could start making a battle plan. Tomorrow evening let's meet downstairs in the kitchen. I'm going to cook us a meal and then we can talk." Jade answered. "I'm going to take my leave, Miss." _

_The headmistress nodded. She trusted the girl blind. "Until tomorrow then." The door closed behind the girls back and she was alone again. Outside she could hear Jade talking to Shayan. Hopefully all would change to the better. _

Severus' shout brought them back to the real world. Roxanne shot Shizuka a glare and stepped aside. She didn't like that the girl hadn't gotten any NGs at all. She hate that the girl actually had talent and was a very good actress and a force to behold.

Shizuka hurried down a corridor and into the changing room. She had to change her costume slightly and fresh up her make up. Aki had followed her and she changed his collar too. She needed to adjust the bandages over her breast since she had refused to wear a bra. In the next scene she would wear her blouse completely open. After changing her stockings and jewelry too she went back.

"Shizuka, are you ready?" Severus asked and hoped he wouldn't have to NG the scene. It was one of the most complicated parts to play. "Well then, scene twenty and action!"

_Jade sat in the headmistress office. It was nearly Christmas and she seen a man sneaking around on the grounds as she was looking through one of the third floor windows. She had ordered Becky to lead him to the office. Now she awaited him. She suspected he was one of the bank clerks. She didn't bother to turn around as the door opened. _

_Lucas Dorian was confused. He had wanted to inspect the grounds and confirm what his colleagues at the bank already knew. They had started to draw a detailed plan and if he could prove they had been on the school grounds without permission he could have handed them over to the police. Now that he was caught by one of the girl he didn't know what to do. But he stopped thinking entirely as he entered the headmistress office. _

_The girl was half lying on the desk. Her back was laid back and the weight was put on her elbows which rested on the desk. One of her legs was stretched, the other one was bent at the knee. Her blouse was open and the bandages securing her breasts were clearly seen. Shayan lay in front of the desk watching Lucas with glittering eyes. After a few moments he finally found his voice again. "What are you doing in the headmistress office?" _

_Jade turned her head and elegantly slid of the desk. Her shoes made a clacking voice on the parts of the stone floor which wasn't covered with carpets. "What are you doing sneaking around on the school grounds without permission?" She countered his question with her own. _

_He wanted to answer but his concentration was drifting off to her body. His brain knew the girl was seducing him but didn't find the strength to fight against it. And so he willingly answered her question as the girl came nearer. "Well, the bank wanted to have a detailed plan of the school grounds and so…" _

"_And so you thought you should sneak around here without asking for permission?" Jade asked again and loosened her tie until the knot was open and the necktie wasn't tied at all. _

_Lucas gulped and nodded. "Yeah, so I could…" And was again interrupted by the sexy goddess standing right in front of him. _

"_So you could estimate for how much they could sell this place?" As she said that she wrapped her necktie around the man's neck and started to walk backward towards the desk, the man following since he couldn't do anything against it. _

_Lucas knew there was something wrong with him but he was hypnotized and couldn't think straight. The girl now sat on the desk with spread legs and he stood between them. The tiger jumped on the desk and wrapped himself around the girl's back. His eyes followed his every movement. _

"_And how much do think is the castle and its ground worth?" The words were pure silk and her hand stroked the man's shoulder and neck. The knock on the door didn't disturb her the slightest and she answered it by saying. "Come in." _

"_Ms. Harper, have you seen Mr. Dori…" The headmistress stopped and took in the sight in front of her. "Well, you have found him. Would you care to enlighten me as to why you two are in that position?" She asked with a smiling tone. _

"_Well, I saw him sneaking around on the grounds and told Becky to fetch him so that I could ask him a few questions." Her whole demeanor changed from the seductress to her normal bossy one. "Could've fooled me." She added and hopped down after shoving the man away. "Enjoy the evening, Miss, he isn't half bad." With a smirk on her lips she left the room. Shayan trailed out behind her, not before he had frightened the man thoroughly. _

_Lucas used the time to compose himself. He needed to loosen his tie, it was hot in here. He didn't know his face was flushed. "Headmistress, not the circumstances I wanted to meet you in." _

_The headmistress chuckled. "Oh, don't bother. It's hard to resist her." She chuckled because she knew of Jade's attractiveness. "But now, back to business, why were you here." _

Finally, Severus was satisfied enough to let them off the hook. Shizuka happily changed back and joined her colleagues, the staff members and her guests. "It was certainly a big surprise to see you here!" She stated happily and eyed Eleanor and Richard wearily. "What brings you here?"

"Aren't we allowed to visit you?" Richard pouted and looked like a mistreated puppy.

Kyoko knew it has no sense in trying to fight this particular look and sighed. "No, you are allowed to visit. Just do after our filming is finished." _Otherwise we have to endure Severus and his bad mood. If you would just act one time in your life you would know how we have to suffer. _

"Okay, we're sorry. But our family somehow came across a problem. A problem we can't solve on our own." Eleanor explained. She wasn't happy to disturb her best friend's work. She had promised not to cause Kyoko any problems while she working.

"What do you mean, your family encountered a problem you couldn't solve?" Kyoko was suddenly paying attention and nearly pierced the two Royals with her gaze.

_If looks could kill… _Richard thought and tried really hard to banish the picture of Shizuka in her role as Jade Harper. "Well, both the Brazilian and Argentinean ambassadors decided to give us a late Christmas present. They had visited us yesterday and well… It's best to show you."

"Father waits at your hotel. I think he's going to shock the staff and then make small talk with them." Eleanor added. All of the staff was present and their eyes were a similar seize as plates. They had known of the rumors of Shizuka befriending the Royal Highnesses but didn't believe them. After her next sentence they had to pick their jaws off the floor.

"Sir Thomas is here as well? Oh, I want to see him. At the ball I didn't have the chance to speak with him more." She was really excited. She conveniently forgot the real reason why the King of UK and two of his children were travelling on their own and that far to the cold Scotland. "I'm going to drive Aki's transporter back myself. I'm going to meet you there!" Nobody was able to stop her. She was out of the door faster than a hurricane.

Eleanor and Richard hurried out of the castle and nearly had to run the distance to Aki's transporter. They had to cross the footbridge and managed to climb into the transporter while Kyoko started the engine. After a few minutes they were back at the hotel. She let Aki out and took his simple leather leash into her hands. She had changed his collar earlier.

And true, in the lobby on one of the couches sat Sir Thomas and most of the personal. They were joking and laughing and the fearsome king had vanished. He raised his head as the door opened and a big grin spread on his lips. "The girl I waited for!"

His booming voice reached Shizuka before she found herself pulled into a bear hug. "It's nice to see you too." She laughed breathless and hoped he would stop hugging her soon. She was nearly crushed in his arms.

"Father, let her breath. Really, you would think she's a grizzly bear." Eleanor complained and smiled at how relieved her friend looked.

His sister's words didn't help Richard the slightest. Now he had the image of Shizuka in a bear costume in his head and it didn't do his libido any good.

"I'm sorry!" Sir Thomas said and let the girl go abruptly. "How're you? I know it's a surprise but we really do need your help."

"With what? What's so complicated that even the Royal family has problems managing?" Her puzzled look told everyone she was really confused right now.

The Royal's looked at each other and the showed her to follow them. At the secured living area of the lobby stood a lonely basket. Due to the glass front the warmth stayed inside the room. Near the masonry heater the basket was located. Under the blanket something was moving. Sir Thomas stepped over and removed the blanket. Inside the basket laid three small baby felines. But not any felines, no. Those were members of the great cats. One of the kittens was black, the second was white and the third had the coat pattern of a jaguar.

"You must be kidding?!" Kyoko asked and looked disbelieving at the persons around her.

"I assure you, it is. As I told you earlier they were a Christmas present. We already asked the zoo to take them and they refused." Richard explained.

"How could they not take them?" She really didn't understand the zoo management. "At least they should have taken the white kitten. It's one of the rarest animals on the planet!"

Sir Thomas nodded. "They said it was too generous of a gift to accept. But we don't know a thing about their upbringing and treatment. You are a fully trained and professional animal trainer after all."

Kyoko wanted to argue she only got it due to her exceptional work with Aki but Sir Thomas seemed to sense it and stopped her.

"Please, we don't know what to do with them and you would care for them. I as my other family members have neither the knowledge nor time to care for them. You have." Sir Thomas honest words wormed their ways into Kyoko's heard. "And even if I don't know you personally long enough I do known you're a true friend to my daughter and not one of those fakes she's always surrounded by."

"We want you to have them. You showed me that not everybody cares for status and money." Eleanor spoke up and her words broke the last barricades around Kyoko's heard.

"You know I don't need payment for my friendship." The actress stated and watched the kittens with lovely eyes.

"That's the reason we want you to have them. You don't expect anything." Eleanor really hoped Kyoko would accept their gift. She really wanted her to have them because she didn't really expect anything out of their friendship, she wasn't a materialist and expected money or other goods. And Eleanor wanted to reward Kyoko's selfishness somehow without making the other girl angry.

Richard meanwhile watched the girls and decided to help her sister 'bribe' the girl. He reached into the basket and cradled the colored kitten in his hands. He went over to Kyoko and put the kitten into her arms. "Look, if you don't do it for us, at least do it for them. You don't want them to end somewhere they wouldn't get proper treatment, do you?"

She didn't need to look down at the kitten in her arms. "Thank you! That means more to me I could ever say out loud." She said smiling while tears formed in her eyes. She nuzzled the kitten and stroked it lovingly. Now she had four charges. Aki had waited at the other end of the room and trotted over. "Look, Aki. Four more are joining our family." She lowered herself onto the ground.

Curious the tiger sniffed at the kitten and sneezed. He didn't know what his owner wanted from him. He tilted his head to the side and was happy to see a smiling owner. Her words seemed to confuse him but soon he understood. He went over to the basket and took one handle between his teeth. Without any strength he pulled the basket over to his owner and curled around it. He then looked up her and licked over her face. The happy laugh was payment enough for him. It wouldn't hurt to have the kittens around him and he would have company.

"They're triplets and all are females. You won't have any territorial problems concerning Aki when they're bigger." Richard mentioned and his heart swelled as he saw Shizuka's heavenly smile.

"You're going to stay till tomorrow?" Kyoko asked.

"Yes, we are. Father and Richard are going to share a room and I'm bunking with you and your room mates. If I'm allowed though, I always wanted to have a sleep over!" Eleanor was getting excited and soon was going to be hyper.

Kyoko shook her head. "Sure. I'm going to sleep on the futon though and I'm not going to argue." Only a princess could argue whether she was allowed to sleep on the floor or not. Kyoko couldn't help but laugh out loud. The face the princess made was too funny.

"We're not expected back at London for a whole week." His ears hurt, his children had cheered rather loudly at his words.

"That's great! But know I'm going to take care of the little ones." Kyoko said and looked happily in the basket once more.

* * *

Yashiro and Ren waited for the detective in front of an old Victorian house. The house was located in one of the noble districts surrounding London. The detective had called them earlier and told them to meet him at this address.

Brown strode down the street and his eyes were glued on one particular house. Jelly Woods' relatives were living there and he wanted to find out if they knew her current address. Maybe he could get some hints if they were reluctant to tell. He greeted the two men. "Mr. Tsuruga, Mr. Yashiro. This is the address of Jelly Woods' relatives. I thought you might want to be present while my talk with them."

"Mr. Brown, thank you for inviting us." Ren greeted and then turned around to look at the house. There were no movements behind the window curtains and it seemed there was nobody home.

"Do you want to know what I've found out? What would interest you is the house on the other side." Brown said and pointed at said house. "It was sold sometime during the last year and the new owner had built some sort of the cage in the middle of the garden. As curious as neighbors could be they tried to catch a better view of what was living in the cage but it is pretty well guarded by the surrounding trees. They told that the new owner was a very young girl and lived together with a young woman. A few weeks previous a young man – who is rumored to be the girl's boyfriend – started to live together with his little sister who can't be older than nine years." He explained. He himself had tried to pry but failed. The vegetation in the garden was too thick to see through and the garden itself was more of a park then a backyard garden.

"That's indeed interesting." Yashiro's eyes were glued to the house front and wished he had x-ray eyes.

"The most interesting part is the little girls seems to be best friends with Woods niece and is often seen over there. She nearly lives there herself one of the neighbors told me." Brown went on. They were so focused on their little talk they hadn't noticed someone was indeed listening them.

Matt was on his way home. He hadn't taken the car this morning as it was Ran's turn to bring the kids to school. He had agreed on taking them home later. Now he and the little girls were approaching their houses and saw three men standing in front of the Thorne house. He didn't like the way they stood around here discussing. They didn't look like potential neighbors and were looking a tad bit too often over at Kyoko's house. He decided to listen in and both the girls understood after his whispered order to stay put and be silent. He didn't like what the men were talking about and before he could interrupt them, Sora did.

"Hey you!" She addressed them boldly. "What are you doing in front of my house?"

Three men turned around and looked at the small girl. "Do you mean us?" Yashiro asked bewildered.

"Yeah, you. Or do you see others standing on the sideway and discussing other people's affairs?" Sora answered and rolled her eyes implying the men were daft.

"Uhm, no?" Yashiro was now really confused. He hadn't encountered such an impolite kid before.

"Great. You're stupid." Sora stated and smirked. "Now that we've estimated your intelligence could you answer my question?"

Matt really tried to hold back his laughter but after the last statement he couldn't anymore. Even Rachel who was normally a timid girl started laughing. To see one grown man being taken down one peck by an eight-year old elementary scholar. It was too much.

Ren was shocked. Brown was shocked. Yashiro was shocked too. They hadn't – ever – thought of the possibility of being caught. Now they were troubled and didn't know how to answer the girl's question. To be outsmarted by an elementary scholar, what a shame!

Brown decided to answer the girl otherwise they would have to leaving, learning nothing new. "Hello, we want to talk to your parents for a bit. Are they home?"

Sora wasn't satisfied by their answer. "No, are not. Why do you want to speak with them?"

Brown hid a sigh. This little monster was stressing his patience. He pulled himself together and came to the solution that shouting wouldn't help them. "The two men over there are interested in the neighbor hood and want to get some information about the district."

Matt had frowned the whole time. The whole story sounded fishy. While the three man were being occupied by Sora he turned around and ordered Rachel to hide the pictures of Kyoko she got for Christmas.

Rachel understood and hurried home unnoticed. She quickly hid the pictures in the anteroom to Aki's cage. Kyoko had the only existing key. In addition they had added an electronic lock requiring a code. The twelve numbers of the combination were put together without a common sense so any other person not knowing the code would have problems to find out. After putting the pictures away she hurried back and rejoined the group unnoticed. She winked at Matt and he nodded.

The three men had been arguing back and forth with Sora. He decided it was time to step in. "Beg my pardon, but you all don't look like you want to buy a house or an apartment." If he was honest to himself the whole situation was fishy.

Brown sighed. What to do now? He decided to tell the kids and the young man, watching him and his client wearily, half of the truth. "No, we're not. We're searching for someone."

"Okay and who're you searching for?" Matt didn't like the direction their talk was going at all.

"Could we maybe discuss that in the inside? It's cold out here." Yashiro asked, he didn't want to start arguing again. And it was truly getting cold, they had been out in the cold for nearly one hour.

Matt had to agree on that. It was cold and he decided a cup of hot tea would help warming him up. Sora and Rachel should really be inside. "I don't mind. But we're going over to my home." Before Sora and Rachel could protest he walked across the street. Rachel and Sora hurried after him. The three men stayed one moment to discuss the turn of things and then followed slowly. That was time Matt needed to explain the girls what they had to do while the unknown men were staying.

"Sora, Rachel, you're going to watch them every second. If one of them says he needs to use the toilet show him the way and wait for him outside the door. I really believe they would use the toilet as an excuse to search the house. Don't give them the chance and stay the hell away from the door leading to the anteroom of Aki's cage. If they ask about it say you don't know since you're not allowed in there. I'm going to lock it and keep the key with me. It's really important. They should not be able to enter any room other than the toilet, living room and kitchen!" Matt overstressed the words but all three of them knew it was most important. A quick inspection showed that no pictures of Kyoko and Jelly were in the rooms. That were the only things showing it was actually them living in the house and not some other girls.

A knock on the door told them their time was up and the girls opened the door. "Come in. Please take of your shoes." They said in unison and watched them like hawks.

The three men thought it was creepy but didn't comment. Every wrong word could ruin all their work. "Where to?" Brown asked. They were shown to the living room were they sat down on a couch and an armchair, the girls staying with them and sitting down on the floor.

Ren looked around and couldn't see anything hinting they were in Kyoko's home. The room was clearly western and stylish. It was clear women with taste had furnished the room. Kyoko would have arranged the room completely different. "You have a nice home." He complimented Matt who was coming out of the kitchen carrying a complete tea set on a tray.

"Thank you. May I ask for your names or is it forbidden to know them?" Matt asked while he was setting the table. "The tea will be finished in a few minutes."

"We're terrible sorry, where are our manners?" Ren said and earned a glare from Yashiro. "I'm Ren Tsuruga, the man with the glasses is Yukihito Yashiro and the other is Mr. Brown. He's helping us."

Matt was hiding his shock pretty well but he had to compliment the girls. "Well, I'm Matt Blackmore and this is my sister Rachel", he pointed at her, "and that's Sora Thorne. I assume you knew already since you want to talk to her parents."

Ren nodded. He had hoped to see a reaction to his name and couldn't hide his disappointment well enough.

Yashiro noticed Ren's slight frown. He was disappointed too by the lack of reaction. He had after all hoped for one.

Brown was the one who carried on the conversation. "Yes, we already know." He simply stated and earned himself another unfriendly frown.

Matt hadn't liked the men from the start and yet he was on the edge of loathing them. "Who are you looking for? I mean, it isn't every day your life is discussed in the open." His voice was sounding sour and hard.

Brown had hoped on cooperation coming from the young man but now had to give up on his hope. The young man hadn't liked their talk and he had to wonder since what moment the young man had started to listen to their conversation. But he had to admit it was partly his own fault the young man wasn't cooperating or helping him. He had failed to watch his surroundings and it had cost him. "We're looking for two women who were rumored to be at London. They had left Japan earlier that year and this two men want to contact them."

_Bollocks, they want them back out of selfishness. One of them isn't even here. The hell would freeze over before I'll help them! _He thought and hid his smile. "Excuse me, but the tea is ready." After that he vanished into the kitchen. He reemerged some minutes after and poured all of them a cup of flavored black tea. "You haven't answered my question completely, Mr. Brown."

By now Brown was silently cursing the young man. He was paying to much attention. "You're right. The women we are looking for are Kyoko Mogami and Jelly Woods."

Matt's frown was real. He had to congratulate Rachel and Sora though. Both of them got excited immediately and began to pester the men.

"You mean the one who played Yuki?" Both of them asked excited and with a dangerous glimmer in their eyes.

"Yes, that would be her. Why, have you seen her?" Yashiro confirmed.

"Sure I have!" Sora answered and Matt nearly got a heart attack. Thankfully the men's focus was solely on Sora and they didn't see his reaction.

"I've seen the movie after all!" Now the three men inwardly groaned in unison.

Now it was time for Rachel's big appearance. "And Sora's aunt has even gotten us autographs!" Her voice was steady and strong and Sora gave a confirming nod.

"My aunt is Jelly Woods and she once told me she was friends with Kyoko!" Sora stated and Matt shook his head in disbelief. Maybe the two were spending too much time with Kyoko.

"Did you see her lately?" Brown asked and now hoped for a positive answer.

"No, I haven't. We haven't heard from her for over half a year now." Sora answered and recited the story Jelly had asked them to tell. "I would've told Rachel. She's my best friend after all."

Rachel butted in. "We only got the autographs she sent us and a short note that all was well."

Ren's shoulders slumped. He really had hoped to get some information. He was dying inwardly not knowing where Kyoko was and if she was well. But he didn't let it ruin his hope. They had more than three weeks to find her and with luck they would.

Matt looked out of the window and sighed. His mobile rang and he stood up and left the three men in the care of Rachel and Sora. They watched them with hawkes eyes. He was only a few minutes away and came after a few minutes. He was happy they hadn't moved one inch. "That was your mother, Sora. She said she was going to be very late today since the twins got sick and the doctor told her it would be better if the twins stayed in hospital this night to monitor them. They run a high fever. Also you are to stay the night here, your father is sleeping away from home due to a interrogation at Truro." He could see the men tensing and knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Hello!

There's not much to say right now expect I've got no voice right now – I just had to catch a cold earlier in the last week and then rushed to the hospital cause I got ill with pleuropneumonia. Today they allowed me my laptop back and I'm sooo happy! Here's the promised update, guys, and I hope you'll enjoy it! Hospitals are pretty boring if you aren't allowed to do anything, the only thing I could do was watching TV and currently even the prime time program is crap. Thankfully I got a single room and don't have to listen to others' chattering. Hope you're all well!

The P.S. is dedicated to **Cana99**: Thanks for your reviews – yes, in my eyes they aren't one – and thank you for saying you want torture Ren. I thought about the possibility of Kyoko having a boyfriend but I feel like that's going to stunt her independence. Maybe she'll hook up with Richard for pretense as it would be her way of doing: Fooling around and to prank others – but with the consent of Richard of course. She wouldn't hurt her friends. I hope you're going to like this part too!


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